/ 



& 



PINNOCK'S IMPROVED EDITION 

OF 

DR. GOLDSMITH'S 

HISTORY OF ENGLAND; 

FROM THE INVASION OF 

JULIUS CAESAR TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE II. 

WITH A 

CONTINUATION TO THE YEAR 1832. 



QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION 

AT THE END OF EACH SECTION. 

BESIDES A VARIETY OF VALUABLE INFORMATION, ADDED 
THROUGHOUT THE WORK. 



CONSISTING OF 

Tables of Contemporary Sovereigns 

• and Eminent Persons. 
Copious Explanatory Notes. 



Remarks on the Politics, Manners, and 

Literature of the Age. 
Ari Outline of the Constitution. &c. &c. 




ILLUSTRATED WITH THIRTY ENGRAVINGS ON WOOD, BY ATHERTON AND 
LUBBREN. 



FIRST AMERICAN, CORRECTED AND REVISED, FROM THE 
TWENTY-THIRD ENGLISH EDITION. 



PHILADELPHIA : 
PUBLISHED BY KEY & BIDDLE. 

1834. 



Jf^ 2 - 






<**• 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1834, 
By Key & Biddle, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Penn- 
sylvania. 



/f-iT'Jt 



STEREOTYPED BY L. JOHNSON, 
PHILADELPHIA. 



PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 



Next to our own national history, it is incumbent 
on American youth to make themselves acquainted 
with that of the country from which we derive our 
political existence, and the most valuable of our cus- 
toms and institutions. The history of England will 
never cease to be interesting to us. It will never be 
other than a valuable and important branch of instruc- 
tion in our schools. 

Among all the histories of that country which have 
been written, none has been so long and so deservedly 
popular as that of Dr. Goldsmith. Whether this be owing 
to its attractive and perfectly intelligible style, or to the 
vivid impression which his simple and clear narrative 
of the facts never fails to leave, it is not now important 
to inquire. The fact of its established classical charac- 
ter, is sufficient to justify the publisher in selecting the 
most approved edition of this work, to be revised and 
adapted to the use of schools in our own country. 

The mass of illustrative matter, consisting of notes, 
tables, engravings, &c, which the reader will find in 
the present edition, may be regarded as adding greatly 
to its value; and the complete and careful series of ques- 
tions appended to each section will claim the especial 
notice of teachers. 



a2 



THE 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER I. 
THE ANCIENT BRITONS. 

OF BRITAIN,* FROM THE INVASION OF JULIUS CiESAR,f B. C. 54, 
TO THE ABDICATION OF THE ROMANS.^ 

SECTION I. 

1 . Britain was but very little known to the rest of the 
world before the time of the Romans. The coasts oppo- 
site Gaul § were frequented by merchants, who traded 
thither for such commodities as the natives were able to 
produce, and who, it is thought, after a time, possessed 
themselves of all the maritime places where they had at 
first been permitted to reside. 2. Finding the country 
fertile, and commodiously situated for trade, they settled 
upon the seaside, and introduced the practice of agricul- 
ture ; but it was very different with the inland inhabitants 
of the country, who considered themselves as the lawful 
possessors of the soil, and avoided all correspondence with 
the new comers, whom they viewed as intruders upon their 
property. || 

* Britain, the name given to England, Scotland, and Wales, united. 

t Julius Caesar was a most eloquent writer and successful warrior ; he 
assumed the title of emperor, which roused the jealousy of many of the 
principal Roman citizens, by whom he was assassinated in the senate-house, 
in the 56th year of his age. 

t The ancient inhabitants of Rome, in Italy. 

§ Gaul was the ancient name of France. 

II Geoffrey of Monmouth, an ancient English historian, says, that the Bri- 
tish isles were first peopled 1100 years before Christ, and asserts that Brutus, 
the great grandson of JEneas, colonized them with the descendants of those 
Trojans, who, after the destruction of Troy, settled in Greece or Italy. 
This account is, however, unsupported by any genuine historical documents, 
and is, therefore, now treated as purely fabulous, though in less enlightened 
ages a story so romantic easily passed current. 

7 



8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

3. The inland inhabitants are represented as extremely 
numerous, living in cottages thatched with straw, and 
feeding large herds of cattle. They lived mostly upon 
milk, or flesh produced by the chase.* What clothes they 
wore, to cover any part of their bodies, were usually the 
skins of beasts ; but the arms, legs, and thighs were left 
naked, and were usually painted blue. 4. Their hair, 
which was long, flowed down upon their backs and shoul- 
ders ; while their beards were kept close shaven, except 
upon the upper lip, where it was suffered to grow. The 
dress of savage nations is everywhere pretty much the 
same, being calculated rather to inspire terror than to excite 
love or respect. 

5. As to their government, it consisted of several small 
principalities, each under its respective leader ; and this 
seems to be the earliest mode of dominion with which man- 
kind are acquainted, and is deduced from the natural privi- 
leges of paternal authority. Upon great and imminent 
dangers,, a commander-in-chief was chosen by common 
consent, in a general assembly ; and to him was committed 
the conduct of the general interest, the power of making 
peace, or leading to war. 

6. Their forces consisted chiefly of foot, and yet they 
could bring a considerable number of horse into the field 
upon great occasions. They likewise used chariots in 
battle, which, with short scythes fastened to the ends of 
the axletrees, inflicted terrible wounds, spreading horror 
and devastation wheresoever they drove. f 7. Nor while the 
chariots were thus destroying, were the warriors who con- 
ducted them unemployed : they darted their javelins against 
the enemy, ran along the beam, leaped on the ground, re- 
sumed their seat, stopped or turned their horses at full speed, 
and sometimes cunningly retreated to draw the enemy into 
confusion. 

8. The religion of the Britons was one of the most con- 
siderable parts of their government; and the Druids, J 

* The ancient Britons were so habitually regular and temperate, that 
they only began to grow old at a hundred and twenty years. — Plutarch. 
De Placitis Philosophic. 

t Caesar gives a most animated description of the dexterity of the Britons 
in managing their war chariots, which he ascribes to constant use and in- 
cessant exercise ; thereby intimating that the Britons were continually en- 
gaged in intestine wars. — Caesar's Com. lib. iv. 

X The Druids were divided into three different classes ; the Bards, who 
were the heroic historians and genealogical poets : the Vates, who were the 
sacred musicians, the religious poets, and the pretended prophets ; the third 



THE ANCIENT BRITONS. 




An Ancient Briton. 



who were the guardians of it, possessed great authority 
among them. No species of superstition was ever more 
terrible than theirs : besides the severe penalties which 
they were permitted to inflict in this world, they inculcated 
the eternal transmigration of souls, and thus extended their 
authority as far as the fears of their votaries.* 9. They 



class, which was by far the most numerous, and who performed all the other 
offices of religion, were called by the general name of Druids, which appella- 
tion was commonly given to the whole fraternity. Their supreme chief was 
styled the Arch-druid. To the priesthood were also attached a number of 
females, called Druidesses, who were likewise divided into three classes; 
those of the first, vowed perpetual virginity, and lived together, sequestered 
from the rest of the world : these were great pretenders to divination, pro- 
phecy, and miracles, and were highly venerated by the people. The second 
class consisted of certain devotees, who, though married, spent the greater 
part of their time with the Druids in assisting in the offices of religion, oc- 
casionally returning to their husbands. The third and lowest class waited 
on the Druids, and performed the most servile offices about the temples, &c. 
The priesthood, in the most ancient times, was hereditary in all countries, 
and was particularly so in the Celtic nations ; where the order of Druids did 
not only descend to their posterity, but the office of priests was likewise he- 
red itary in families. 

* Among a people so credulous as the ancient Britons, it is no wonder 
that those who possessed such high authority among them as the Druids, 
practised the greatest impositions ; accordingly we read, that the Druids 
were in the habit of borrowing large sums of the people, which they pro- 
mised to repay in the other world — " Druidre pecuniam mutuo accipiebant 
in posteriore vita reddituri." — Patriciua 



10 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

sacrificed human victims, which they burnt in large wicker 
idols, made so capacious as to contain a multitude of per- 
sons at once, who were thus consumed together. To these 
rites, tending to impress ignorance with awe, they added 
the austerity of their manners and the simplicity of their 
lives. They lived in woods, caves, and in hollow trees ; their 
food was acorns and berries, and their drink water. By 
these arts, they were not only respected, but almost adored 
by the people.* 

10. It may be easily supposed that the manners of the 
people took a tincture from the discipline of their teachers. 
Their lives were simple, but they were marked with cruelty 
and fierceness ; their courage was great, but neither dig- 
nified by mercy nor perseverance. 

11. The Britons had long remained in this rude but in- 
dependent state, when Caesar, having overrun Gaul with 
his victories, and willing still further to extend his fame, 
determined upon the conquest of a country that seemed to 
promise an easy triumph ; accordingly, when the troops 
designed for the expedition were embarked, he set sail for 
Britain about midnight, and the next morning arrived on the 
coast near Dover, where he saw the rocks and cliffs covered 
with armed men to oppose his landing. 

* Caesar informs us, that the Druids also taught " many things concerning 
the stars and their motions, the magnitude of the earth, and the nature of 
things;" but it is impossible to say how far their knowledge of astronomy 
or natural philosophy extended. Their doctrines were never committed to 
writing, but comprised in verses, which were learned verbatim by frequent 
rehearsals, and carefully committed to memory. It is supposed that the re- 
ligion of the Druids originated in Britain ; for such of the Gallic youth as 
were desirous of being instructed in its mysteries repaired to this country 
in order to obtain a complete education. Indeed, the following account, re- 
lated by Strabo, and supported by numerous classic authorities, is at once 
a proof of Iheir great mental superiority, and affords a fair presumption, from 
its antiquity, that Druidism originated in Britain. A learned and accom- 
plished Druid, named Abaris (who resided in Ireland, which was the chief 
resort of the order), was sent by his fraternity to Delos, in Greece, in the 
capacity of a sacred ambassador, where he was equally admired for his 
knowledge, politeness, justice, and integrity. " He came," says Strabo, " to 
Athens, not clad in skins, like a Scythian, but with a bow in his hand, a 
quiver hanging on his shoulders, a plaid wrapped about his body, a gilded 
belt encircling his loins, and trowsers reaching from the waist down to the 
soles of his feet. He was easy in his address ; agreeable in his conversa- 
tion ; active in his despatch, and secret in his management of great affairs ; 
quick in judging of present occurrences ; and ready to take his part in any 
sudden emergency ; provident withal in guarding against futurity ; diligent 
in the quest of wisdom ; fond of friendship ; trusting very little to fortune, 

? f et having the entire confidence of others, and trusted with every thing for 
lis prudence. He spake Greek with a fluency, that you would have thought 
he had been bred up in the Lyceum, and conversed all his life with the 
Academy of Athens." B. C. 600. 



THE ANCIENT BRITONS. 11 

12. The Britons had chosen Cassivelau'nus* for their 
commander-in-chief ; but the petty princes under his com- 
mand, either desiring his station, or suspecting his fidelity, 
threw off their allegiance. 13. Some of them fled with 
their forces into the internal parts of the kingdom, others 
submitted to Caesar, till at length Cassivelau'nus himself, 
weakened by so many desertions, resolved upon making 
what terms he was able, while he yet had power to keep 
the field. 14. The conditions offered by Caesar, and ac- 
cepted by him, were, that he should send to the continent 
double the number of hostages at first demanded, and that 
he should acknowledge subjection to the Romans. Caesar, 
however, was obliged to return once more to compel the 
Britons to complete their stipulated treaty. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Was Britain well known before the time of its invasion by the Romans? 
By whom were, at that time, the coasts opposite Gaul frequented ? 

2. Who introduced the practice of agriculture ? 

3. 4. Describe the inland inhabitants. 

5. Of .what did the government of the ancient Britons consist ? 

6, 7. What was their chief force ? 

8. Who were the ministers of their religion ? 

9. Did they ever sacrifice human victims ? 

10. What were the manners of the people ? 

11. Who first determined on the conquest of Britain? 

12. 13. Whom did the Britons choose for their leader ? 

14. What conditions were offered by Cassar, and accepted by Cassivelaunus ? 



SECTION II. 

1. Upon the accession of Augus'tus,f that emperor had 
formed a design of visiting Britain, but was diverted from 
it by the unexpected revolt of the Panno'nians4 

Tiberius, § wisely judging the empire already too exten- 
sive, made no attempt upon Britain. From that time the 
natives began to improve in all the arts which contribute to 
the advancement of human nature. 

2. The wild extravagances of Calig'ula,|| by which he 

* Sometimes written Cassibelau'nus, or Cassibe'lan. 

t Augus'tus was the son of Julius Caesar's niece, adopted by Ceesar. He 
was the second emperor of Rome. 
t The people of Hungary, which country was formerly called Pannonia. 
§ The third emperor of Rome. 
II A Roman emperor, the successor of Tibe'rius. 



12 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

threatened Britain with an invasion, served rather to expose 
him to ridicule than the island to danger. At length, the 
Romans, in the reign of Clau'dius,* began to think seri- 
ously of reducing them under their dominion. The ex- 
pedition for this purpose was conducted in the beginning 
by Plau'tius and other commanders, with that success which 
usually attended the Roman arms. 

3. Carac'tacus was the first who seemed willing, by a 
vigorous effort, to rescue his country, and repel its insulting 
and rapacious conquerors. This rude soldier, though with 
inferior forces, continued, for above nine years, to oppose 
and harass the Romans ; till at length he was totally routed 
and taken prisoner by Osto'rius Scap'ula, who sent him in 
triumph to Rome. 4. While Carac'tacus was being led 
through Rome, he appeared no way dejected at the amazing 
concourse of spectators that were gathered upon this occa- 
sion ; but casting his eyes on the splendours that surrounded 
him, "Alas !" cried he, "how is it possible that a people 
possessed of such magnificence at home, could envy me a 
humble cottage in Britain ?" The emperor was affected 
by the British hero's misfortunes, and won by his address. 
He ordered him to be unchained on the spot, and set at 
liberty with the rest of the captives. 

5. The cruel treatment of Boadi'cea, queen of the Ice'ni, 
drove the Britons once more into open rebellion. Prasat'- 
agus, king of the Ice'ni, at his death had bequeathed one 
half his dominions to the Romans, and the other to his 
daughters, thus hoping, by the sacrifice of a part, to secure 
the rest to his family. But it had a different effect ; for 
the Roman procurator immediately took possession of the 
whole : and when Boadi'cea, the widow of the deceased, 
attempted to remonstrate, he ordered her to be scourged 
like a slave, and made slaves of her daughters. 6, These 
outrages were sufficient to produce a revolt throughout the 
island. The Ice'ni, as being the most deeply interested in 
the quarrel, were the first to take arms ; all the other states 
soon followed the example ; and Boadi'cea, a woman of 
great beauty and masculine spirit, was appointed to head 
the common forces, which amounted to two hundred and 
thirty thousand fighting men. 7. These, exasperated by 
their wrongs, attacked several of the Roman settlements and 
colonies with success : Pauli'nus, who commanded the 
Roman forces, hastened to relieve London, which was al- 

* The son of Dru'sus, and successor of Calig'ula. 



THE ANCIENT BRITONS. 13 

ready a flourishing colony ; but found, on his arrival, that 
it would be requisite for the general safety to abandon that 
place to the merciless fury of the enemy. 8. London was 
soon, therefore, reduced to ashes ; such of the inhabitants 
as remained in it were massacred ; and the Romans, with 
all other strangers, to the number of seventy thousand, 
were cruelly put to the sword. Flushed with these suc- 
cesses, the Britons no longer sought to avoid the enemy, 
but boldly came to the place where Pauli'nus awaited their 
arrival, posted in a very advantageous manner with a body 
of ten thousand men. 9. The battle was obstinate and 
bloody. Boadi'cea herself appeared in a chariot with her 
two daughters, and harangued her army with masculine in- 
trepidity ; but the irregular and undisciplined bravery of 
her troops was unable to resist the cool intrepidity of the 
Romans. They were routed with great slaughter ; eighty 
thousand perished in the field, and an infinite number were 
made prisoners ; while Boadi'cea herself, fearing to fall 
into the hands of the enraged victor, put an end to her life 
by poison. 

10. The general who firmly established the dominion of 
the Romans in this island was Ju'lius Agric'ola,* who go- 
verned it during the reigns of Vespa'sian,f Ti'tus, J and 
Domi'tian,§ and distinguished himself as well by his cou- 
rage as humanity. 

For several years after the time of Agric'ola, a profound 
peace seems to have prevailed in Britain, and little mention 
is made of the affairs of the island by any historian. 

11. At length, however, Rome, that had for ages given 
laws to nations, and diffused slavery and oppression over 
the known world, began to sink under her own magnifi- 
cence. Mankind, as if by a general consent, rose up to 
vindicate their natural freedom ; almost every nation as- 
serting that independence of which they had been so long 
unjustly deprived. 

12. During these struggles the British youth were fre- 
quently drawn away into Gaul, to give ineffectual succour 

* Ju'lius Agric'ola was the father-in law of Ta'citus, the celebrated his- 
torian. 

t Vespa'sian was the tenth Roman emperor ; he was valiant, but very 
avaricious. 

I Ti'tus was the eleventh Roman emperor, the son of Vespa'sian ; he was 
so good a man that he was called the " delight of mankind." 

§ Domi'tian was the twelfth Roman emperor, and brother to Ti'tus; a 
great persecutor of the Christians, and of a most cruel disposition. 

B 



14 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

to the various contenders for the empire, who, failing in 
every attempt, only left the name of tyrants behind them.* 
In the mean time,. as the Roman forces decreased in Britain, 
the Picts and Scotsf continued still more boldly to infest 
the northern parts ; and crossing the friths, which the Ro- 
mans could not guard, in little wicker boats covered with 
leather, filled the country, wherever they came, with slaugh- 
ter and consternation. 

13. The Romans, therefore, finding it impossible to stand 
their ground in Britain, in the reign of the emperor Valen- 
tin'ian took their last leave of the island, after being masters 
of it for nearly four hundred years, and now left the natives 
to the choice of their own government and kings. They 
gave them the best instructions the calamitous times would 
permit, for exercising their arms, and repairing their ram- 
parts ; and helped them to erect a new wall of stone across 
the island, for they had not, at that time, artisans skilful 
enough among themselves to repair that which had been 
built by the emperor Sev'erus. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What prevented Augustus from visiting Britain ? 
Did Tiberius make an attempt upon Britain ? 

2. What exposed Caligula to ridicule ? 

3. Who was the first person that was willing to repel the invaders 1 
How long did Caractacus harass the Romans ? 

4. What remarks did Caractacus make on witnessing the splendour of 

Rome? 

5. What caused the Britons to rebel ? 

Who commanded Boadicea to be ill treated ? 

6. What were the consequences ? 

7. Who commanded the Roman forces at that time ? 

8. What was the fate of London and its inhabitants ? 

9. Describe Boadicea's conduct, and the result of this battle. 

10. At what time did peace prevail in Great Britain? 

11. What was the situation of Rome at this time ? 

12. What were the nations that infested the northern parts 1 

13. When did the Romans take their leave of Britain ? And how long had 

they been masters of it ? 

* According to the "Notitia Imperii," no less than twelve British corps 
of infantry and cavalry were constantly dispersed in the distant provinces 
of the empire; while foreign soldiers were, according to the invariable 
policy of the Romans, stationed in Britain. 

t The names by which the inhabitants of Scotland were at that time dis- 
tinguished. " The Picts (so called from Pictich, a plunderer, and not from 
Picti, painted), and the Scots from Scuite, a wanderer, in the Celtic tongue, 
were only different tribes of Caledonians." — Dr. Henry. 



THE SAXONS. 15 

CHAPTER II. 

THE SAXONS. 
SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 447.) The Britons, being now left to them- 
selves, considered their new liberties as their greatest cala- 
mity. The Picts and Scots, uniting together, began to look 
upon Britain as their own, and attacked the northern wall, 
which the Romans had built to keep off their incursions, 
with success. Having thus opened to themselves a passage, 
they ravaged the whole country with impunity, while the 
Britons sought precarious shelter in the woods and moun- 
tains.* 

2. It was in this deplorable and enfeebled state that the 
Britons had recourse to the Saxons, a brave people ; who, 
for' their strength and valour, were formidable to all the 
German nations around them, and supposed to be more 
than a match for the gods themselves. They were a people 
restless and bold, who considered war as their trade ; and 
were, in consequence, taught to consider victory as a doubt- 
ful advantage, but courage as a certain good. 3. A nation, 
however, entirely addicted to war, has seldom wanted the 
imputation of cruelty, as those terrors which are opposed 
without fear are often inflicted without regret. The Saxons 
are represented as a very cruel nation : but we must re- 
member that their enemies have drawn the picture. 

4. It was no disagreeable circumstance to these ambitious 
people to be invited into a country upon which they had for 
ages been forming designs. In consequence, therefore, of 
Vor'tigern's solemn invitation, who was then king of Bri- 
tain, they arrived with fifteen hundred men, under the com- 
mand of Hen'gist and Hor'sa, who were brothers, and 

* In this extremity, they made application for succour to vEtius, prefect 
of Gaul, m the following remarkable words : — " The groans of the wretched 
Britons, to the thrice-appointed Consul ^Etius. — The barbarians drive us into 
the sea, and the sea forces us back on the swwds of the barbarians, so that 
we have nothing left us but the wretched choice of being either drowned 
or murdered." ^Etius was, however, too closely engaged in opposing Attala, 
the renowned king of the Huns (who, from the havoc he made wherever 
his sword was drawn, was denominated "The scourge of God"), to bestow 
on the Britons any attention. 



16 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

landed on the isle of Than'et. 5. There they did not 
long remain inactive ; but being joined by the British forces, 
they boldly marched against the Picts and Scots, who had 
advanced as far as Lincolnshire, and soon gained a complete 
victory over them. (A. D. 450.) 

The Saxons, however, being sensible of the fertility of 
the country to which they came, and the barrenness of that 
which they had left behind, invited over great numbers ot 
their countrymen to become sharers in their new expedi- 
tion. 6. Accordingly they received a fresh supply of five 
thousand men, who passed over in seventeen vessels, and 
soon made a permanent establishment in the island. 

The British historians, in order to account for the easy 
conquest of their country by the Saxons, assign their trea- 
chery, not less than their valour, as a principal cause. 

7. They allege, that Vor'tigern was artfully inveigled 
into a passion for Rowe'na, the daughter of Hen'gist; and, 
in order to marry her, was induced to settle the fertile pro- 
vince of Kent upon her father, from whence the Saxons 
could never after be removed.* It is alleged, also, that 
upon the death of Vor'timer, which happened shortly after 
the victory he obtained at Eg'glesford, Vor'tigern, his fa- 
ther, was reinstated upon the throne. 8. It is added, that 
this weak monarch, accepting of a festival from Hen'gist, 
three hundred of his nobility were treacherously slaugh- 
tered, and himself detained as a captive. 

After the death of Hen'gist, several other German tribes, 
allured by the success of their countrymen, went over in 
great numbers. 9. A body of Saxons, under the conduct 
of Ella and his three sons, had some time before laid the 
foundation of the kingdom of the South Saxons, though 
not without great opposition and bloodshed. This new 
kingdom included Surry, Sussex, and the New Forest ; 
and extended to the frontiers of Kent. 

10. Another tribe of the Saxons, under the command of 
Cerdic, and his son Kenric, landed in the west, and from 
thence took the name of West Saxons. These met with 

* Our old English historians say, that when the beautiful Rowe'na was first 
introduced to Vor'tigern, " she presented him, on her knee, with a cup of 
wine, saying ' Waes heal, hlaford cyning,' or 'Be of health, Lord King!' to 
which Vor'tigern, being instructed in the custom, answered, ' Drinc heal,' 
or, ' I drink your health.' " — It is proper here to observe, however, that some 
able historians have declared, that no authentic documents exist concerning 
these stories of Vor'tigern and Rowe'na, or of the slaughter of the British 
nobles : and that they are inclined to believe the whole a fiction, or, at least, 
very much exaggerated. 



THE SAXONS. 17 

a very vigorous opposition from the natives, but being rein- 
forced from Germany,* and assisted by their countrymen on 
the island, they routed the Britons ; and although retarded in 
their progress by the celebrated king Arthur,! they had 
strength enough to keep possession of the conquest they had 
already made. Cerdic, therefore, with his son Kenric, es- 
tablished the third Saxon kingdom in the island, namely that 
of the West Saxons, including the counties of Hants, Dorset, 
Wilts, Berks, and the Isle of Wight. 

11. It was in opposing this Saxon invader that the ce- 
lebrated prince Arthur acquired his fame. However un- 
successful all his valour might have been in the end, yet 
his name made so great a figure in the fabulous annals of 
the times, that some notice must be taken of him. 12. This 
prince is of such obscure origin, that some authors suppose 
him to be the son of king Ambro'sius,± and others only his 
nephew ; others again affirm that he was a Cornish prince, 
and son of Gurlois, king of that province. However this 
be, it is certain he was a commander of great valour ; and, 
could courage alone repair the miserable state of the Britons, 
his might have been effectual. 13. According to the most 
authentic historians, he is said to have worsted the Saxons 
in twelve successive battles. In one of these, namely, that 
fought at Caerbadon, in Berks, it is asserted that he killed 
no less than four hundred and forty of the enemy with his 
own hand. But the Saxons Were too numerous and power- 
ful to be extirpated by the desultory efforts of single va- 
lour ; so that a peace, and not a conquest, was the im- 
mediate fruit of his victories. 14. The enemy, therefore, 
still gained ground ; and this prince, in the decline of life, 
had the mortification, from some domestic troubles of his 
own, to be a patient spectator of their encroachments. His 
first wife had been carried off by Melnas, king of Somerset- 
shire, who detained her a whole year at Glas'tonbury,§ 
until Arthur, discovering the place of her retreat, advanced 
with an army against the seducer, and obliged him to give 
her back. 15. In his second wife, perhaps, he might have 
been more fortunate, as we have no mention made of her ; 
but it was otherwise with his third consort, who Was car- 

* A large country of Europe, comprising many kingdoms and states, 
t A British prince, who established Christianity at York, in the room of 
paganism, or worshipping of idols. 
I King of the Britons. 

$ Glas'tonbury is a town in Somersetshire, noted for a famous abbey. 
b2 



18 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ried off by his own nephew, Mordred. This produced a re- 
bellion, in which the king and his traitorous kinsman, meet- 
ing in battle, slew each other. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who ravaged England with impunity ? 

2. To whom did the Britons have recourse for assistance in their distress ? 

3. What character is given of the Saxons ? 

4. Where did the Saxons land ? 

5. Whom did the Saxons defeat? 

6. By what means can the easy conquest of the Britons be accounted for ? 

7. How did the Saxons obtain possession of the province of Kent? 

8. Were not many of the British nobility treacherously slaughtered ? 

9. Who laid the foundation of the South Saxon kingdom ? 

10. Who gave rise to the name of the West Saxons ? 

11, 12. What, celebrated British prince opposed the Saxons with success? 

13. What extraordinary feat of valour is related of him ? 

14. What domestic troubles afflicted Arthur in the decline of life ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A.D. 575.) In the mean time, while the Saxons were 
thus gaining ground in the west, their countrymen were 
not less active in the other parts of the island. Adventurers 
still continuing to pour over from Germany, one body of 
them, under the command of Uffa, seized upon the counties 
of Cambridge, Suffolk, and Norfolk, and gave their com- 
mander the title of king of the East Angles,* which was the 
fourth Saxon kingdom founded in Britain. 

2. Another body of these adventurers formed a kingdom 
under the title of East Saxony, or Essex, comprehending 
Essex, Middlesex, and part of Hertfordshire. This king- 
dom, which was dismembered from that of Kent, formed the 
fifth Saxon principality founded in Britain. 

3. The kingdom of Mercia was the sixth which was es- 
tablished by these fierce invaders, comprehending all the 
middle counties, from the banks of the Severn to the frontiers 
of the two last-named kingdoms. 

The seventh and last kingdom which they obtained was 
that of Northumberland,! one of the most powerful and 
extensive of them all. This was formed from the union of 

* Comprehending Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, and the Isle of Ely. 
t Northumberland contained six counties in England, and as far as the 
Frith of Edinburgh in Scotland. 



THE SAXONS. 19 

two smaller Saxon kingdoms, the one called Berni'cia, con- 
taining the present county of Northumberland and the 
bishoprick of Durham ; the subjects of the other, called 
Dei'ri, extending themselves over Lancashire and York- 
shire. 4. These kingdoms were united in the person of 
Ethelred, king of Northumberland, by the explusion of 
Edwin, his brother-in-law, from the kingdom of the Deiri, 
and the seizure of his dominions. In this manner, the na- 
tives being overpowered, or entirely expelled, seven king- 
doms were established in Britain, which have since been 
well known by the name of the Saxon heptarchy. 

5. The Saxons, being thus well established in all the desi- 
rable parts of the island, and having no longer the Britons 
to contend with, began to quarrel among themselves. A 
country divided into a number of petty independent princi- 
palities, must ever be subject to contention, as jealousy and 
ambition have more frequent incentives to operate. 6. After 
a series, therefore, of battles, treasons, and stratagems, all 
their petty principalities fell under the power of Egbert, 
king of Wessex, whose merits deserved dominion, and 
whose prudence secured his conquests. By him all the 
kingdoms of the heptarchy were united under one common 
jurisdiction ; but, to give splendour to his authority, a gene- 
ral council of the clergy and laity was summoned at Win- 
chester, where he was solemnly crowned king of England, 
by which name the united kingdom was thenceforward 
called. 

7. Thus, about four hundred years after the first arrival 
of the Saxons in Britain, all the petty settlements were 
united into one great state, and nothing offered but prospects 
of peace, security, and increasing refinement. 

It was about this period that St. Gregory undertook to 
send missionaries among the Saxons, to convert them to 
Christianity. 8. It is said, that, before his elevation to the 
papal chair, he chanced one day to pass through the slave- 
market at Rome, and perceiving some children of great 
beauty, who were set up for sale, he inquired about their 
country, and finding they were English pagans, he is said 
to have cried out in the Latin language, Non Angli sed 
Angeli, forent, si essent Christiani. " They would not be 
English, but angels, had they been Christians."* 9. From 

* Inquiring further the name of their province, he was answered Deiri 
(a district of Northumberland). " Deiri," replied St. Gregory, " that is good ; 
they are called to the mercy of God from his anger ; that is, de Ira. But 



20 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

that time he was struck with an ardent desire to convert that 
unenlightened nation, and ordered a monk, named Augus'- 
tine, and others of the same fraternity, to undertake the 
mission into Britain. 

This pious monk, upon his first landing in the Isle of 
Thanet, sent one of his interpreters to Eth'elbert, the Kent- 
ish king, declaring he was come from Rome with offers of 
eternal salvation. 10. The king immediately ordered them 
to be furnished with all necessaries, and even visited them, 
though without declaring himself as yet in their favour. 
Augus'tine, however, encouraged by this favourable recep- 
tion, and now seeing a prospect of success, proceeded with 
redoubled zeal to preach the gospel. 11. The king openly 
espoused the Christian religion : while his example wrought 
so successfully on his subjects, that numbers of them came 
voluntarily to be baptized, the missionary loudly declaring 
against any coercive means towards their conversion. In 
this manner the other kingdoms, one after the other, em- 
braced the faith : and England was soon as famous for its 
superstition, as it had once been for its averseness to Chris- 
tianity. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Whence did adventurers continue to come? 

What counties formed the fourth kingdom of the Saxons ? 

2. What counties did the fifth Saxon kingdom comprehend ? 

3. What was the sixth kingdom called ? 

What was the seventh kingdom ? and how was it formed ? 

4. What was the general name given to the seven Saxon kingdoms ? 

5. What happened to the Saxons after the Britons were subdued ? 

6. Under whose power did all the petty principalities fall ? 

7. At about what period were missionaries sent among the Saxons to con- 

vert them to Christianity ? 
8,9. What was the circumstance which occasioned the sending missionaries 
into Britain ? 

10. How were the missionaries received by the Saxon monarch ? 

11. What effect was produced by the king's example ? 

how is the king of that province named ?" He was told ^Ella, or Alla. 
" Alleluiah !" cried he, " we must endeavour that the praises of God be sung 
in this country."— Hume. 



INVASION OF THE DANES. 21 

CHAPTER III. 
THE INVASION OF THE DANES. 

FROM THE END OF THE HEPTARCHY TO THE REIGN OF WILLIAM 
THE CONQUEROR. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 832.) Peace and unanimity had been scarcely 
established in England, when a mighty swarm of those na- 
tions called Danes* and Northmen, subsequently corrupted 
into Normen or Normans, who had possessed the country 
bordering on the Baltic,! began to level their fury against 
England. A small body of them at first landed on the coasts, 
with a view to learn the state of the country ; and having 
committed some depredations, fled to their ships for safety. 
2. About seven years after this first attempt, they made a 
descent upon the kingdom of Northumberland, where they 
pillaged a monastery, but their fleet being shattered by a 
storm, they were defeated by the inhabitants and put to the 
sword. It was not till about five years after the accession 
of Egbert,^ that their invasions became truly formidable. 
From that time they continued with unceasing ferocity, until 
the whole kingdom was reduced to a state of the most dis- 
tressing bondage. § 

3. Though often repulsed, they always obtained their 
end of spoiling the country, and carrying the plunder away. 
It was their method to avoid coming, if possible, to a general 
engagement ; but, scattering themselves over the face of the 
country, they carried away indiscriminately, as well the 
inhabitants themselves, as all their moveable possessions. 

4. At length, however, they resolved upon making a set- 

* The Danes were inhabitants of Denmark, a kingdom in the north of 
Europe. 

t The Baltic is an inland sea in the north of Europe. 

X Egbert was the first sole monarch in England. 

§ Nothing could be more dreadful than the manner in which these fierce 
barbarians carried on their incursions ; they spared neither age nor sex, and 
each commander urged the soldiers to inhumanity. One of their celebrated 
chieftains, named Oliver, gained, from his dislike to the favourite amusement 
of his soldiers (that of tossing children on the points of their spears), the con- 
temptuous surname of Burnakal, or "The Preserver of Children." 



22 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

tlement in the country ; and landing on the Isle of Thanet, 
stationed themselves there. In this place they kept their 
ground, nothwithstanding a bloody victory gained over them 
by Eth'elwolf. The reign of Eth'elbald, his successor, was 
of no long continuance ; however, in a short space, he 
crowded together a number of vices sufficient to render his 
name odious to posterity. 

5. This prince was succeeded by his brother Eth'elred, a 
brave commander, but whose valour was insufficient to re- 
press the Danish incursions. In these exploits he was 
always assisted by his younger brother, Alfred, afterwards 
surnamed the Great, who sacrificed all private resentment to 
the public good, having been deprived by the king of a large 
patrimony. 6. It was during Eth'elred's reign that the 
Danes, penetrating into Mercia, took up their winter-quarters 
at Nottingham ; from whence the king attempting to dislodge 
them, received a wound in the battle, of which he died, 
leaving his brother Alfred the inheritance of a kingdom that 
was now reduced to the brink of ruin. 

7. The Danes had already subdued Northumberland and 
East Anglia, and had penetrated into the very heart of Wes- 
sex. The Mercians were united against Alfred ; the de- 
pendence upon the other provinces of the empire was but 
precarious : the lands lay uncultivated, through fear of con- 
tinual incursions ; and all the churches and monasteries 
were burnt to the ground. In this terrible situation of affairs, 
nothing appeared but objects of terror, and every hope was 
lost in despair. 8. The wisdom and virtues of one man 
alone were found sufficient to bring back happiness, security, 
and order ; and all the calamities of the times found redress 
from Alfred. 

9. This prince seemed born not only to defend his bleed- 
ing country, but even to adorn humanity. He had given 
very early instances of those great virtues which afterwards 
gave splendour to his reign ; and was anointed by pope Leo 
as future king, when he was sent by his father, for his 
education, to Rome. On his return from thence, he became 
every day more the object of his father's fond affections ; 
and that perhaps was the reason why his education was at 
first neglected. He had attained the age of twenty before 
he was made acquainted with the lowest elements of litera- 
ture ; but hearing some Saxon poems read, which recounted 
the praise of heroes, his whole mind was roused, not only 
to obtain a similitude of glory, but also to be able to transmit 



INVASION OF THE DANES. 23 

that glory to posterity. 10. Encouraged by the queen his 
mother, and assisted by a penetrating genius, he soon learned 
to read these compositions, and proceed from thence to a 
knowledge of Latin authors, who directed his taste, and rec- 
tified his ambition. 

He was scarcely come to the throne when he was obliged 
to oppose the Danes, who had seized Wilton,* and were ex- 
ercising their usual ravages on the country around. 11. He 
marched against them with the few troops he could assemble 
on a sudden, and a desperate battle was fought, to the disad- 
vantage of the English. But it was not in the power of 
misfortune to abate the king's diligence, though it repressed 
his power to do good. He was in a little time enabled to 
hazard another engagement ; so that the enemy, dreading 
his courage and activity, proposed terms of peace, which he 
did not think proper to refuse. 12. They, by this treaty, 
agreed to relinquish the kingdom ; but instead of complying 
with their engagements, they only removed from one place 
to another, burning and destroying wherever they came. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A. D. I AD. 



Gregory IV 823 

SergiusII 844 

Leo IV 847 

Benedict III 855 

Nicholas 1 858 

Emperors of the East. 
Michael II 821 



Theophilus 1 829 

Michael III 842 

Emperors of the West, 
and Kings of France. 

Lewis 1 814 

Lotharius 840 

Lewis II 855 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of Scotland. 

A D. 

Congallus III 824 

Dongallus 829 

Alpinus 834 

KennethusII 849 

Donaldus V 859 

Constantius II 865 



In the reign of Egbert : Earls Osmond and Dudda. Bishops Wigfurth and 
Herefurth. — In the reigns of Ethelbald and Elhelbert : Swithun, bishop of 
Winchester. Osryck, earl of Hampton. Lambert and Elhelhard, archbishops 
of Canterbury . — In the reign of Ethelred: Osbricht and (Ella, Northumbrian 
princes, who were killed while bravely opposing the Danes. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What enemies disturbed the tranquillity which England enjoyed after the 

union of the seven Saxon kingdoms ? 
What mode of warfare was practised by the Danes ? 

2. What loss did the Danes suffer by sea ? 

3. What did the Danes carry away ? 

4. Where did they at length establish themselves ? 

5. Who succeeded Ethelbald ? 

By whom was Ethelred assisted ? 



* Wilton is the county town of Wiltshire, though Salisbury is now its prin- 
cipal place. 



24 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

6. What was the cause of Ethelred's death ? and to whom did he leave the 

kingdom ? 
7,8. What was the cause of the lands remaining uncultivated ? 
9, 10. What is related of Alfred's youth and early disposition ? 

11. What was the success of this prince against the Danes? 

12. In what manner did the Danes observe their treaty with Alfred ? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A. D. 877.) Alfred, thus opposed to an enemy whom 
no stationary force could resist, and no treaty could bind, 
found himself unable to repel the efforts of those ravagers 
who from all quarters invaded him. New swarms of the 
enemy arrived every year upon the coast, and fresh inva- 
sions were still projected. Some of his subjects, therefore, 
left their country, and retired into Wales,* or fled to the 
continent. Others submitted to the conqueror, and purchased 
their lives by their freedom. 2. In this universal defection, 
Alfred vainly attempted to remind them of the duty they 
owed their country and their king ; but, finding his remon- 
strances ineffectual, he was obliged to give way to the 
wretched necessity of the times. Accordingly, relinquish- 
ing the ensigns of his dignity, and dismissing his servants, 
he dressed himself in the habit of a peasant, and lived for 
some time in the house of a herdsman, who had been in- 
trusted with the care of his cattle. 3. In this manner, though 
abandoned by the world, and fearing an enemy in every 
quarter, still he resolved to continue in his country, to catch 
the slightest occasion for bringing it relief. In his solitary 
retreat, which was in the county of Somerset, at the conflu- 
ence of the rivers Parret and Thone, he amused himself with 
music, and supported his humble lot with the hopes of bet- 
ter fortune. 4. It is said, that one day, being commanded 
by the herdsman's wife, who was ignorant of his quality, to 
take care of some cakes which were baking by the fire, he 
happened to let them burn, on which she severely upbraided 
him for neglect. 

Previous to his retirement, Alfred had concerted measures 
for assembling a few trusty friends, whenever an opportunity 
should offer of annoying the enemy, who were in possession 
of the whole country. 5. This chosen band, still faithful 

* Wales consists of twelve counties on the west of England, annexed to 
it by Edward the First. 



ALFRED THE GREAT. 25 

to their monarch, took shelter in the forests and marshes of 
Somerset, and from thence made occasional irruptions upon 
straggling parties of the enemy. Their success in this rapa- 
cious and dreary method of living encouraged many more 
to join their society, till at length, sufficiently augmented, 
they repaired to their monarch, who had by that time been 
reduced by famine to the last extremity.* 

6. Meanwhile Ubba, the chief of the Danish commanders, 
carried terror over the whole land, and now ravaged the 
country of Wales without opposition. The only place 
where he found resistance was in his return from the castle 
of Kenwith, into which the Earl of Devonshire had retired 
with a small body of troops. 7. This gallant soldier, find- 
ing himself unable to sustain the siege, and knowing the 
danger of surrendering to a perfidious enemy, was resolved, 
by one desperate effort, to sally out and force his way 
through the besiegers, sword in hand. The proposal was 
embraced by all his followers : while the Danes, secure in 
their numbers, and in their contempt of the enemy, were 
not only routed with great slaughter, but Ubba, their gene- 
ral, Was slain. 

8. This victory once more restored courage to the dispi- 
rited Saxons ; and Alfred, taking advantage of their favour- 

* The life of Alfred is full of the most interesting events. Among nu- 
merous anecdotes related of him by the old English historians, the follow- 
ing we think worthy of a place in this work, as it affords a striking illustra- 
tion of his benevolence, and is a proof of the privations he, in common with 
his trusty adherents, underwent during their seclusion in Somersetshire : — " It 
happened one day during the winter, which proved uncommonly severe, 
that he had sent all his attendants out to endeavour to procure fish, or some 
kind of provisions ; so difficult was the enterprise esteemed, that the king 
and queen only were excused from the employment. When they were 
gone, the king, as was his custom, whenever he had an opportunity, took a 
book, and began reading, whilst Elswitha was employed in her domestic con- 
cerns ; they had not long continued thus engaged, before a poor pilgrim, ac- 
cidentally passing that way, knocked at the gate, and begged they would 
give him something to eat. The humane king called Elswitha, and desired 
her to give the poor man part of what provision there was in the fort : the 
queen, finding only one loaf, brought it to Alfred, to show how slender their 
store was, at the same time representing the distress the family would labour 
under, should they return from their foraging unsuccessful. The king, not 
deterred by this scanty view from his charitable purpose, but rather inter- 
nally rejoicing at this trial of his humanity, cheerfully gave the poor Chris- 
tian one-half of the loaf; consoling the queen with this religious reflection, 
' That He who could feed five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, 
could make (if it so pleased him) that half of the loaf suffice for more than 
their necessities.' When the traveller departed, the king returned to his 
reading, and felt that satisfaction which most surely results from a beneficent 
action. Nor was it long unrewarded, for his companions returned with so 
great a quantity of provisions, that they were not exposed to any similar in- 
conveniences during their seclusion." 

c 



nate them to 

. \ - .\ . Ho 8 

them of tho place of his retreat, and instruc 

•k iiv.s .... 

bis harp m his 
sh camp, tried all his sk s tc 

so much admired, that hi sence 

hrwm. iho Ihuush pn 
*naaif >!:.\>. 10. Bather 

■ ; - l\:.v.;s. i".-.i-.r -•-•::-••":-, o:' :>.c' I'm >\ .: -cir negligence. 

. 

such :vo:\ > ■ 

retuir and, oet, ssaries 

mon : -. appointed thom fed him in the 

11. h was 

\ lo tho 

Hhms, surprised to behold aw army of Eng". - 

! 

wore eompelU - r.o::. II 

v embarked tor Flanders,* under the 
command of one of their generals, called Hastings. Guth- 
rwm. their prince, became a convert, with t: 

.*nd the king himself u - or him at the font, 

d ha<l now attained die meridian of glory ; he 

- - * ot" Wales 

did him homage for their possessions, the x umbriansf 

of his appointing, and no enemy appeared 

I him the least apprehensions, or excite an alarm. 

which was diligent!;. 

in cultivating the arts of peace, and in repairing die 
damages which the kingdom had sustained by war. 



Al.llil.l) lill. on I 1 . 27 

15. Tli.s cart was to polish the country by arte, at be 

had protected it by arms ; and he is laid to have drawn up 
a body of laws.* His care for the enconrag eiue»t of learn- 
ing did not a little tend to improve the morals arid restrain 
the barbarous babits of the people. VVben he came to the 
throne, be found the English sunk into the grossest igno- 

rance and barbarism, proceeding from the continual dis- 
orders of the government, and from the ravages of the 
Danes. 16. He himself complains, that, on his accession, 

he knew not one person south of the Thames, who could 
so much as interpret the Latin service. f To remedy this 
deficiency, he invited over the most celebrated scholars 
from all parts of Europe ; he founded, or at least re-esta- 
blished the university of Oxford, and endowed it with many 
privileges ; and he gave, in his own example, the strongest 
incentives to study. 17. He usually divided his time into 
three equal portions: one was given to sleep, and the re- 
fection of his body, by diet and exercise ; another to the 
despatch of business ; and the third to study and devotion. J 
He made a considerable progress in the different studies of 
grammar, rhetoric, philosophy, architecture, and geometry. 
He was an excellent historian; he understood music; he 
was acknowledged to be the best Saxon poet of the age, 
and left many works behind him, some of which remain to 
this day. 18. To give a character of this prince, would 

* Alfred established a regular militia throughout England, and raised a 
Considerable naval force, by which means tie was enabled to repel the fu- 
ture incursions of the Danes. He afterwards established a regular police; 
dividing the kingdom into counties, arid the counties into hundreds and 
tithings. So well regulated was the police which he established, that it is 
said he had golden bracelets hung up near the highways, which no robber 
dared to touch. Yet he never deviated from the nicest regard to ihe liberty 
of his people; and there is a remarkable sentiment preserved in his will, 
namely, that " It is just the English should for ever remain as free as their 
own thoi'qhts." 

t So little, indeed, was learning attended to by the great, that Asser. the 
biographer of Alfred, mentions with astonishment, that the king taught his 
youngest son, Elhelward, to read, before he made him acquainted with 
hunting. 

I The piety of Alfred was as conspicuous as his prowess, and in those 
days of ignorance, he enlightened bv his pen no less than by his example, 
the people over whom he swayed the sceptre. One of his literary labours 
was the rendering the Holy Gospels into the Saxon tongue, from which we 
extract the Lord's Prayer, and insert it here as a specimen of the language 
spoken by the English at that period : 

" Faeder ure thu the earth on heafenum, si thin mama gehaleod, to be cume 
thin rice, Gewurthe hin willa on earthen swa swa on heafenum, urne ge 
dSBgwanlican hlaf syle us to daeg; and forgyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we 
fbrgivath urum gvltendum. and no geladde thu us on consenung ac alyse ua 
of yfle." (Si it awn.)— Medulla Historic Anglicanee. 



28 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



be to sum up those qualities which constitute perfection. 
Even virtues seemingly opposite were happily blended in 
his disposition ; persevering, yet flexible ; moderate, yet 
enterprising; just, yet merciful; stern in command, yet 
gentle in conversation. Nature also, as if desirous that 
such admirable qualities of mind should be set off to the 
greatest advantage, had bestowed on him all bodily accom- 
plishments, vigour, dignity, and an engaging open counte- 
nance. 19. He died at Oxford, on the 25th of October, 
900, and was buried at Winchester. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

John VIII 872 

Martin II 882 

Adrian III 884 

Stephen VI 885 

Formosus 891 

Emperors of the East. 
BasiliusI 867 



Leo VI. 



A.D. 

886 



Emperors of the West, 
and Kings of France 

Lewis II 855 

Charles 1 873 

Charles II 880 

Arnold 888 



A.D. 

Lewis III 899 

Kings of Scotland. 

Constantine II 863 

Ethus 878 

Gregory 880 

Donaldus VI 898 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Oddune, earl of Devon, who killed Ilubba the Dane, and took the famous 
Reafen, or enchanted standard. Ulfredus, Trelotegaldus, Celnorth, Ethelred, 
and Pierumbus, were successively archbishops of Canterbury in this reign. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What effect had the continual ravages of the Danes upon the English ? 

2, 3. How did Alfred act in this emergency ? 

4. What anecdote is related of Alfred during his concealment? 

5. How did those who still remained faithful to xMfred conduct themselves ? 

6. What benevolent act is related of this monarch ? (See the Note.) 

7. What desperate effort did the earl of Devonshire resolve on ? And what 

was the consequence ? 

8. What was the advantage gained by Alfred's courage ? 

9. By what stratagem did Alfred get intelligence of the enemy's situation ? 
10, 11. What observations did he make during his stay in the Danish camp ? 

12. What became of the Danes after their defeat? 

13. What kings paid homage to Alfred ? 

14. 15, 16. How was Alfred employed during the peace? 

17. For what purpose did Alfred divide his time into three equal portions? 

And what were his accomplishments ? 

18. What is the general character given of Alfred ? 

19. Where did Alfred die, and at what place was he buried ? 



29 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 901.) His second son, Edward,* succeeded 
him on the throne. To him succeeded Athelstan, his natural 
son, the illegitimacy of his birth not being then deemed a 
sufficient obstacle to his inheriting the crown. He died at 
Gloucester, after a reign of sixteen years, and was succeeded 
by his brother Edmund, who, like the rest of his predeces- 
sors, met with disturbance from the Northumbrians on his 
accession to the throne ; but his activity soon defeated their 
attempts. 2. The resentment this monarch bore to men of 
an abandoned way of living was the cause of his death. 
He was killed by LeolfT, a robber, at a feast, where this 
villain had the insolence to intrude into the king's presence. 
His brother, Edred, was appointed to succeed him ; and, 
like his predecessors, this monarch found himself at the 
head of a rebellious and refractory people. 3. Edred im- 
plicitly submitted to the directions of Dunstan the monk, 
both >in church and state; and the kingdom was in a fair 
way of being turned into a papal province by this zealous 
ecclesiastic ; but he was checked, in the midst of his career, 
by the death of the king, who died of a quinsy, in the tenth 
year of his reign. — A. D. 955. 

4. Edwy, his nephew, who ascended the throne, his own 
sons being yet unfit to govern, was a prince of great per- 
sonal accomplishments, and of a martial disposition. But 
he was now come to the government of a kingdom, in which 
he had an enemy to contend with, against whom all military 
virtues could be of little service. 5. Dunstan, who had 
governed during the former reign, was resolved to remit 
nothing of his authority in this ; and Edwy, immediately 
upon his accession, found himself involved in a quarrel with 
the monks ; whose rage neither his accomplishments nor 
his virtues could mitigate. 

6. Among other instances of their cruelty, the following 
is recorded : — There was a lady of the royal blood, named 
Elgiva, whose beauty had made a strong impression upon 

* Surnamed Edward the Elder, from being the first of that name who sat 
on the throne of England. He obtained many victories over the Northum 
brian rebels, built several castles, and fortified different cities. He also 
founded the University of Cambridge, in 915. He is said to have been 
nearly equal to his father in military courage, but greatly inferior to him in 
mental accomplishments. He reigned 24 years. 

c 2 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Dunstan separating Edwy and Elgiva. 



the young monarch's heart. He had even ventured to 
marry her contrary to the advice of his counsellors, as she 
was within the degrees of affinity prohibited by the canon 
law. 7. On the day of his coronation, while his nobility 
were giving a loose to the more noisy pleasures of wine 
and festivity in the great hall, Edwy retired to his wife's 
apartments, where, in company with her mother, he enjoyed 
the more pleasing satisfaction of her conversation. Dun- 
stan no sooner perceived his absence, than conjecturing the 
reason, he rushed furiously into the apartment, and upbraid- 
ing him with all the bitterness of ecclesiastical rancour, 
dragged him forth in the most outrageous manner. 

8. Dunstan, it seems, was not without his enemies, for 
the king was advised to punish this insult by bringing him 
to account for the money with which he had been intrusted 
during the last reign. This account the haughty monk re- 
fused to give in ; wherefore he was deprived of all the ec- 
clesiastical and civil emoluments of which he had been in 
possession, and banished the kingdom. 9. His exile only 
served to increase the reputation of his sanctity with the 
people. Among the rest Odo, archbishop of Canterbury,* 
was so far transported with the spirit of party, that he pro- 
nounced a divorce between Edwy and Elgiva. The king 
was unable to resist the indignation of the church, and con- 
sented to surrender his beautiful wife to its fury. Accord- 

* An ancient city of Kent, of which county it is the capital. 



EDGAR. 31 

ingly, Odo sent into the palace a party of soldiers, who 
seized the queen, and, by his orders, branded her on the 
face with a hot iron. 10. Not contented with this cruel 
vengeance, they carried her by force into Ireland, and there 
commanded her to remain in perpetual exile. This injunc- 
tion, however, was too distressing for that faithful woman 
to comply with ; for, being cured of her wound, and having 
obliterated the marks which had been made to deface her 
beauty, she once more ventured to return to the king, whom 
she still regarded as her husband. But misfortune continued 
to pursue her. 11. She was taken prisoner by a party 
whom the archbishop had appointed to observe her con- 
duct, and was put to death in a most cruel manner : the 
sinews of her legs being cut, and her body mangled, she 
was thus left to expire in the most cruel agony. In the 
mean time a secret revolt against Edwy became almost ge- 
neral ; and Dunstan put himself at the head of the party. 
12. The malecontents at last proceeded to open rebellion ; 
and having placed Edgar, the king's youngest brother, a 
boy of about thirteen years of age, at their head, they soon 
put him in possession of all the northern parts of the king- 
dom. Edwy's power, and the number of his adherents, 
every day declining, he was at last obliged to consent to a 
partition of the kingdom ; but his death, which happened 
soon after, freed his enemies from all further inquietude, 
and gave Edgar peaceable possession of the government. 

13. Edgar, being placed on the throne by the influence 
of the monks, affected to be entirely guided by their direc- 
tions in all his succeeding transactions. 

Little worthy of notice is mentioned of this monarch, 
except his amour with Elfrida, which is of too singular a 
nature to be omitted. 14. Edgar had long heard of the 
beauty of a young lady, whose name was Elfrida, daughter 
to the earl of Devonshire ; but, unwilling to credit common 
fame in this particular, he sent Ethelwald, his favourite 
friend, to see and inform him if Elfrida was, indeed, that 
incomparable woman report had described her. 15. Ethel- 
wald, arriving at the earl's, had no sooner set his eyes upon 
that nobleman's daughter, than he became desperately en- 
amoured of her himself. Such was the violence of his 
passion, that, forgetting his master's intention, he solicited 
only his own interest, and demanded for himself the beau- 
tiful Elfrida from her father in marriage. The favourite of 
a king was not likely to find a refusal ; the earl gave his 



32 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

consent, and the nuptials were performed in private. 16. 
Upon his return to court, which was shortly after, he as- 
sured the king that riches alone, and her high quality, had 
been the cause of her high fame, and he appeared amazed 
how the world could talk so much and so unjustly of her 
charms. The king was satisfied, and no longer felt any 
curiosity, while Ethelwald secretly triumphed in his ad- 
dress. 17. When he had, by this deceit, weaned the king 
from his purpose, he took an opportunity, after some time, 
of turning the conversation on Elfrida, representing that, 
though the fortune of the earl of Devonshire's daughter 
would be a trifle to a king, yet it would be an immense ac- 
quisition to a needy subject. He therefore humbly entreated 
permission to pay his addresses to her, as she was the rich- 
est heiress in the kingdom. 18. A request so seemingly 
reasonable was readily complied with ; Ethelwald returned 
to his wife, and their nuptials were solemnized in public. 
His greatest care, however, was employed in keeping her 
from court ; and he took every precaution to prevent her 
from appearing before a king so susceptible of love, while 
she was so capable of inspiring that passion. But it was 
impossible to keep his treachery long concealed. 19. Edgar 
was soon informed of the whole transaction ; but, dissem- 
bling his resentment, he took occasion to visit that part of 
the country where this miracle of beauty was detained, accom- 
panied by Ethelwald, who reluctantly attended him thither. 
Upon coming near the lady's habitation, he told him that he 
had a desire to see his wife, of whom he had formerly heard 
so much, and desired to be introduced as his acquaintance. 
20. Ethelwald, thunderstruck at the proposal, did all in his 
power, but in vain, to dissuade him. All he could obtain, 
was permission to go before, on pretence of preparing for 
the king's reception. On his arrival he fell at his wife's 
feet, confessing what he had done to be possessed of her 
charms, and conjuring her to conceal as much as possible 
her beauty from the king, who was too susceptible of its 
power. 21. Elfrida, little obliged to him for a passion that 
had deprived her of a crown, promised compliance ; but, 
prompted either by vanity or revenge, adorned her person 
with the most exquisite art, and called up all her beauty on 
the occasion. The event answered her expectations ; the 
king no sooner saw, than he loved her, and was instantly 
resolved to obtain her. 22. The better to effect his inten- 
tions, he concealed his passion from the husband, and took 



EDGAR. 



33 



leave with a seeming indifference ; but his revenge was not 
the less certain and faithful. Ethelwald was some time 
after sent into Northumberland, upon pretence of urgent 
affairs, and was found murdered in the wood by the way. 
23. Some say he was stabbed by the king's own hand ; 
some that he only commanded the assassination ; however 
this be, Elfrida was invited soon after to court by the king's 
own order, and their nuptials were performed with the usual 
solemnity. 

This monarch died, after a reign of sixteen years, in the 
thirty-third year of his age, being succeeded by his son 
Edward, whom he had by his first marriage with the 
daughter of the earl of Ordmer.* 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Benedict IV 900 

LeoV 904 

Sergius III 905 

Anastasius III 910 

Lado 912 

JohnX 913 

Leo VII 928 

Stephen VIII 929 

John XI 931 

Leo VI 936 

Stephen IX 939 

Martin III 943 

Agapeptus 950 

John XII 956 

Benedict V 964 

John XIII 965 



! A.D. 

Benedict VI 972 

Donius II 972 

Emperors of the East. 

Leo VI 886 

Constantine Porphy- 

rogenitus 910 

Romanus the young- 
er 959 

Nicephorus 963 

Zenrisces 970 

Emperors of the West. 

Lewis III 899 

Conradel 912 

Henry 1 919 



A.D. 

Othol 936 

Otholl 973 

Kings of France. 

Charles II 1 899 

Lewis IV 936 

Lothaire I 954 

Kings of Scotland. 
Constantine III ... . 909 

Malcolm 1 943 

Indulphus 958 

Duffus 967 

Culenus 972 



EMINENT PERSONS. 



In the reign of Edward: Ethelfrida, sister of EM ward the Elder, a great 
warrior, and very instrumental in assisting to gain her brother's victories. 
Atholme, archbishop of Canterbury. — In the reign of Athelstan: Guy, earl 
of Warwick, who is said to have killed the Danish giant Colbrand, in single 
combat, at Winchester, and performed many other extraordinary actions. 
Terketyl, a successful warrior, an abbot of Croyland, and chancellor of Eng- 
land. Wolston, archbishop of Canterbury. — In the reign of Edred : Dun- 
stan, abbot of Glastonbury. Odo, archbishop of Canterbury. — In the reign 
of Edgar : Dunstan and Elsius, archbishops of Canterbury. 



* Until the reign of Edgar, England was much infested with wolves. 
The king, however, was indefatigable in hunting and destroying them ; but 
finding that those which escaped took shelter in the mountains and forests 
of Wales, he changed the tribute of money imposed on that country into an 
annual tribute of 300 wolves' heads : this "produced such diligence in hunt- 
ing them, that their extirpation was soon effected. 



34 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



Questions for Examination. 

2. What was the cause of Edward's death? and who succeeded him? 

3. To whose direction did Edred submit? 

4. Who succeeded Edred ? 

6. Whom did Edwy marry ? 

7. What happened on the day of his coronation ? 

8. On what account was Dunstan banished the kingdom ? 

9. By whose orders was the queen seized ? 

14. Who was Elfrida, and whom did Edgar send to her ? 

15. How did Ethelwald perform his mission ? 

16. 17, 18. Relate what followed. 

19. How did the king act on hearing the whole transaction ? 

20. What did Ethelwald request of his wife ? 

21 . What was the result of her non-compliance ? 

22. How did Ethelwald die ? 

23. How long did Edgar reign ? and by whom was he succeeded ? 



SECTION IV. 



1. (A. D. 975.) Edward, surnamed the Martyr, was 
made king by the interest of the monks, and lived but four 
years after his accession. In this reign there is nothing 
remarkable if we except his tragical and memorable end. 
2. Hunting one day near Corfe Castle, where Elfrida, his 
mother-in-law, resided, he thought it his duty to pay her a 
visit, although he was not attended by any of his retinue. 
There desiring some liquor to be brought him, as he was 
thirsty, while he was yet holding the cup to his head, one 
of Elfrida's domestics, instructed for that purpose, stabbed 
him in the back. The king, finding himself wounded, put 
spurs to his horse ; but fainting with the loss of blood, he 
fell from the saddle, and his foot sticking in the stirrup, he 
was dragged along by his horse till he died. 

3. Ethelred the Second, surnamed the Unready, the son 
of Edgar and Elfrida, succeeded; a weak and irresolute 
monarch, incapable of governing the kingdom, or providing 
for its safety. During his reign, the old and terrible ene- 
mies, the Danes, who seemed not to be loaded with the 
same accumulation of vice and folly as the English, were 
daily gaining ground. 4. The weakness and inexperience 
of Ethelred appeared to give a favourable opportunity for 
renewing their depredations ; and accordingly, they landed 
on several parts of the coast, spreading their usual terror 
and devastation. A. D. 981, 



CANUTE. 35 

As they lived indiscriminately among the English, a 
resolution was taken for a general massacre ; and Ethelred, 
by a policy incident to weak princes, embraced the cruel 
resolution of putting them all to the sword. 5. This plot 
was carried on with such secrecy, that it was executed in 
one day, and all the Danes in England were destroyed 
without mercy. But this massacre, so perfidious in the 
contriving, and so cruel in the execution, instead of ending 
the long miseries of the people, only prepared the way for 
greater calamities. 
* -^ 6. While the English were yet congratulating each other 
•>, upon their late deliverance from an inveterate enemy, 
Sweyn, king of Denmark, who had been informed of their 
treacherous cruelties, appeared off the western coasts with 
a large fleet, meditating slaughter, and furious with revenge. 
( Ethelred was obliged to fly into Normandy, and the whole 
country thus came under the power of Sweyn, his vic- 
torious rival. 

7. Canute, afterwards surnamed the Great, succeeded 
Sweyn as king of Denmark, and also as general of the 
Danish forces in England. The contest between him and 
Edmund Ironside, successor to Ethelred, was managed with 
great obstinacy and perseverance : the first battle that was 
fought appeared indecisive ; a second followed, in which 
the Danes were victorious ; but Edmund still having inter- 
est enough to bring a third army into the field, the Danish 
and English nobility, equally harassed by these convulsions, 
obliged their kings to come to a compromise, and to divide 
the kingdom between them by treaty.* 8. Canute reserved 
to himself the northern parts of the kingdom ; the southern 
parts were left to Edmund ; but this prince being murdered 
about a month after the treaty, by his two chamberlains at 
Oxford, Canute was left in peaceable possession of the 
whole kingdom. A. D. 1017. 

Canutef is represented, by some historians, as one of the 
first characters in those barbarous ages. The piety of the 

* In the battle which was fought at Athelney, Edmund, perceiving Canute 
at the head of his forces, rode off from his own, and Canute advancing, a 
furious combat ensued, in which (according to the author of the Medulla 
Histories Anglicance) Canute was wounded, and first proposed forbearance ; 
and this, it is said, led to the division of the kingdom. By Canute's accession 
to the throne, a termination was put to a war with the Danes, which had, 
almost without, intermission, raged for 200 years. 

t In the latter part of his life, to atone for his many acts of violence, he 
built churches, endowed monasteries, imported relics, and made a pilgrimage 
to Rome. 



36 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

latter part of his life, and the resolute valour of the former, 
were topics that filled the mouths of his courtiers with flat- 
tery and praise. 9. They even affected to think his power 
uncontrollable, and that all things would be obedient to his 
command. Canute, sensible of their adulation, is said to 
have taken the following method to reprove them. He 
ordered his chair to be set on the sea-shore while the tide was 
coming in, and commanded the sea to retire. 10. " Thou 
art under my dominion," cried he, "the land upon which I 
sit is mine ; I charge thee, therefore, to approach no farther, 
nor dare to wet the feet of thy sovereign." He feigned to 
sit some time in expectation of submission, till the waves 
began to surround him, then turning to his courtiers, he 
observed, That the titles of Lord and Master belonged only 
to Him whom both earth and seas were ready to obey. 
11. Thus feared and respected, he lived many years, ho- 
noured with the surname of Great for his power, but de- 
serving it still more for his virtues. He died at Shaftes- 
bury,* in the nineteenth year of his reign, leaving behind 
him three sons, Sweyn, Harold, and Hardicanute. Sweyn 
was crowned king of Norway, Hardicanute was put in pos- 
session of Denmark, and Harold succeeded his father on 
the English throne. A. D. 1036. 

12. To Harold succeeded his brother, Hardicanute, 
whose title was readily acknowledged both by the Danes 
and the English ; and, upon his arrival from the continent, 
he was received with the most extravagant demonstrations 
of joy. This king's violent and unjust government was of 
but short duration. He died two years after his accession, 
in consequence of excess at the marriage of a Danish lord, 
which was celebrated at Lambeth. 

13. The disorders of the Danish monarchs once more 
induced the English to place a monarch of the Saxon line 
upon the throne, and accordingly Edward, surnamed the 
Confessor, was by the general consent crowned king. 
A.D. 1041. 

The English, who had long groaned under a foreign yoke, 
now set no bounds to their joy, at finding the line of their 
ancient monarchs restored. 

14. As he had been bred in the Norman court, he showed, 
in every instance, a predilection for the customs, laws, and 
even the natives of that country ; and, among the rest of 
his faults, though he married Editha, the daughter of God- 

* A market town in Dorsetshire. 



HAROLD. 37 

win, yet either from mistaken piety, or fixed aversion, during 
his whole reign he abstained from her society !* 

15. Thus having no legitimate issue, and being wholly 
engrossed, during the continuance of a long reign, with the 
visions of superstition, he was at last surprised by sickness, 
which brought him to his end, on the 5th of January, in the 
sixty-fifth year of his age, and twenty-fifth of his reign. 

16. Harold, the son of a popular nobleman, whose name 
was Godwin, and whose virtues seemed to give a right to 
his pretensions, ascended the throne without any opposition. 
But neither his valour, his justice, nor his popularity were 
able to secure him from the misfortunes attendant upon an 
ill-grounded title. His pretensions were opposed by Wil- 
liam duke of Normandy, who insisted that the crown be- 
longed of right to him, it being bequeathed to him by Edward 
the Confessor. f 



Questions for Examination. 

1 . By whose interest was Edward the Martyr crowned king ? 

2. Relate the circumstances attending the king's death. 

3. Who succeeded Edward ? 

4. What was the conduct of the Danes during Ethelred's reign? 

5. What method did Ethelred take to destroy the Danes ? 

6. What was the consequence of Ethelred's perfidy? 

7. By whom was Sweyn succeeded ? 

9. Did Canute reprove his courtiers for their flattery ? 

10. Repeat the words Canute made use of on this occasion. 

11. Where did Canute die ? and what issue did he leave ? 

13. Whom did the English place on the throne upon the death of Hardica- 

nute ? 

14. Where had Edward the Confessor been bred ? and what predilections 

had he in consequence ? 

15. How long did Edward reign ? 

16. What were the pretensions of William duke of JNormandy to the English 

throne ? 



SECTION V. 

1. (A.D. 1066.) William, who was afterwards called the 
Conqueror, was natural son of Robert, duke of Normandy. 
His mother's name was Arlette, a beautiful maid of Falaise, 
whom Robert fell in love with as she stood gazing at the 
door, while he passed through the town. William, who was 

* This contributed to gain him the title of Saint and Confessor. 

t Edward the Confessor converted a small monastery into the beautiful 
cathedral called Westminster Abbey, where he built his own sepulchre, 
and which, until very lately, has been the usual burial place of the English 
monarchs 

D 



38 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the offspring of this amour, owed a part of his greatness to 
his birth, but still more to his own personal merit, t. His 
body was vigorous, his mind capacious and noble, and his 
courage not to be repressed by apparent danger. Upon 
coming to his dukedom of Normandy, though yet very 
young, he on all sides opposed his rebellious subjects, and 
repressed foreign invaders, while his valour and conduct 
prevailed in every action. 3. The tranquillity which he 
had thus established in his dominions induced him to extend 
his views ; and some overtures made by Edward the Con- 
fessor, in the latter part of his reign, who was wavering in 
the choice of a successor, inflamed his ambition with a de- 
sire of succeeding to the English throne. 4. The pope 
himself was not behind the rest in favouring his pretensions ; 
and, either influenced by the apparent justice of his claims, 
or by the hopes of extending the authority of the church, he 
immediately pronounced Harold an usurper. With such 
favourable incentives, William soon found himself at the 
head of a chosen army of sixty thousand men, all equipped 
in the most warlike and splendid manner. 5. It was in the 
beginning of summer that he embarked this powerful body 
on board a fleet of three hundred sail ; and, after some small 
opposition from the weather, landed at Pevensey,* on the 
coast of Sussex, with resolute tranquillity. 

6. Harold, who seemed resolved to defend his right to 
the crown, and retain that sovereignty which he had received 
from the people, who only had a right to bestow it, was now 
returning, flushed with conquest, from defeating the Nor- 
wegians, who had invaded the kingdom, with all the forces 
he had employed in that expedition, and all he could invite 
or collect in the country through which he passed. His 
army was composed of active and valiant troops, in high 
spirits, strongly attached to their king, and eager to engage. 

7. On the other hand, the army of William consisted of 
the flower of the continent, and had long been inured to 
danger. The men of Britanny, Boulogne, Flanders, Poictou, 
Maine, Orleans, France, and Normandy, were all voluntarily 
united under his command. England never before, nor ever 
since, saw two such armies drawn up to dispute its crown. 
8. The day before the battle, William sent an offer to 
Harold to decide the quarrel between them by single combat, 
and thus to spare the blood of thousands : but Harold re- 
fused, and said he would leave it to the God of armies to 
determine. Both armies, therefore, that night pitched in 

* A small town in Sussex. 



HAROLD. 39 

sight of each other, expecting the dawning of the day with 
impatience. The English passed the night in songs and 
feasting ; the Normans in devotion and prayer. 

(Oct. 13, 1066.) 9. The next morning, at seven, as soon 
as day appeared, both armies were drawn up in array against 
each other. Harold appeared in the centre of his forces, 
leading on his army on foot, that his men might be more 
encouraged, by seeing their king exposed to an equality of 
danger. William fought on horseback, leading on his army, 
that moved at once, singing the songs of Roland, one of the 
famous chiefs of their country. 10. The Normans began 
to fight with their cross-bows, which, at first, galled and 
surprised the English ; and, as their ranks were close, their 
arrows did great execution. But soon they came to closer 
fight, and the English with their bills hewed down their 
adversaries with great slaughter. Confusion was spreading 
among the ranks, when William, who found himself on the 
brink of destruction, hastened with a select band to the 
relief of his forces. 11. His presence restored the suspense 
of battle ; he was seen in every place, endeavouring to 
pierce the ranks of the enemy, and had three horses slain 
under him. At length, perceiving that the English continued 
impenetrable, he pretended to give ground, which, as he 
expected, drew the enemy from their ranks, and he was 
instantly ready to take advantage of their disorder. 12. Upon 
a signal given, the Normans immediately returned to the 
charge with greater fury than before, broke the English 
troops, and pursued them to a rising ground. It was in this 
extremity that Harold was seen flying from rank to rank, 
rallying and inspiring his troops with vigour ; and though 
he had toiled all day, till near night-fall, in front of his 
Kentish men, yet he still seemed unabated in force or cou- 
rage, keeping his men to the post of honour. 

13. Once more, therefore, the victory seemed to turn 
against the Normans, and they fell in great numbers, so 
that the fierceness and obstinacy of this memorable battle 
was often renewed by the courage of the leaders, whenever 
that of the soldiers began to slacken. Fortune at length de- 
termined a victory that valour was unable to decide. 

14. Harold, making a furious onset at the head of his 
troops against the Norman heavy armed infantry, was shot 
into the brains by an arrow ; and his two valiant brothers, 
fighting by his side, shared the same fate. He fell with his 
sword in his hand, amidst heaps of slain ; and, after the bat- 



40 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



tie, the royal corpse could hardly be distinguished among 
the dead.* 

This was the end of the Saxon monarchy in England, 
which had continued for more than six hundred years. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. a.d. 

Benedict VII 975 

JohnXIV 984 

John XV 985 

Gregory V 996 

Silvester II 999 

John XVI 1003 

John XVII 1004 

SergiusIV 1009 

Benedict VIII 1012 

John XVIII 1024 

Benedict IX 1033 

Gregory VI 1044 

Clement II 1046 

Damascus II 1048 

Leo IX 1049 

Victorll 1055 

Stephen X 1057 

Nicholas II 1059 

Alexander II 1061 



Emperors of the East. 

A.D. 

Basilius II 975 

Constantine X 1025 

Romanus III 1028 

Michael IV 1034 

Michael V 1041 

Constantine XI... . 1042 

Theodore (erap.)... 1054 

Michael VI 1056 

Isaac Comnenus. . . 1059 

Constantine XII... 1059 

Emperors of the West. 

OthoII 973 

OthoIII 983 

Henry II 1002 

Conrad II 1024 

Henry RT 1039 

Henry IV 1056 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of France. 

A.D. 

Lothaire 1 954 

Louis V 986 

Hugh Capet 987 

Robert II 997 

Henry 1 1031 

Philip 1 1060 



Kings of Scotland. 

Culenus 972 

Kenneth III 977 

Constantine IV.... 1002 

Grimus 1005 

Malcolm II 1054 

Duncan 1 1031 

Macbeth 1040 

Malcolm III 1057 



In the reigns of Edward the Martyr, Ethelred II. and Edmund : the duke 
of Mercia, who took part with Elfrida and the clergy, against the king. 
Dunstan, Ethelgar, Elfric, Siricius, Al phage, and Livingus, archbishops of 
Canterbury. — In the reigns of Canute, Harold, Hardicanute, and Edward, the 
Confessor : Elnothus, Edsine, and Robert, archbishops of Canterbury. God- 
win, earl of Kent, whose estates being afterwards swallowed by inundations 
of the sea, are now denominated the Goodwin Sands. — In the reign of Harold 
II. : Leofwin and Gurf, brothers to the lung. Stigand, archbishop of Canter- 
bury. Tosti, earl of Northumberland. 



Questions for Examination. 

I. Who was William the Conqueror? 

5. When and where did William land ? 

6,7. Of what were the armies of Harold and William composed ? 

8. How did the two armies pass the night previous to the battle ? 

9. In what way did Harold and William lead their respective armies to 

battle ? 
11, 12, 13. Describe the conduct of William and Harold. 
14. How did Harold fall ? 

How long did the Saxon monarchy continue in England ? 

* The English in this battle neither used the long-bow nor cross-bow, but 
both were used by the Normans. The English forces were nearly all in- 
fantry, while by far the greater part of the Norman army was composed of 
cavalry. It is therefore probable, that to the want of cavalry, and the not 
using any missive weapons, may be in a great measure attributed the defeat 
of Harold's army. Certain it is, that the victory remained undecided from 
nine in the morning till the close of the day, when the death of the king, who 
had slain many Normans with his own hand, finally turned the scale. 



WILLIAM TIIF CONQUEROR. 



41 



CHAPTER IV. 

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 



Born 1024. Died Sept. 9th, 1037. Began to reign Dec. 25th, 1066. Reigned" 
21 years. 




William the Conqueror receiving the crown of England. 

1. (A.D. 1066.) As soon as William passed the Thames 
at Wallingford, Stigand, the primate, made submission to 
him in the name of the clergy : and before he came within 
sight of the city, all the chief nobility came into his camp, 
and declared their intention of yielding to his authority. 
William was glad of being peaceably put in possession of a 
throne which several of his predecessors had not gained 
without repeated victories. 

2. But, in order to give his invasion all the sanction pos- 
sible, he was crowned at Westminster by the archbishop 
of York, and took the oath usual in the times of the Saxon 
and Danish kings ; which was, to protect and defend the 
church, to observe the laws of the realm, and to govern the 
people with impartiality. Having thus secured the govern- 
ment, and by a mixture of rigour and lenity, brought the 
English to an entire submission, he resolved to return. to the 
continent, there to enjoy the triumph and congratulations 
of his ancient subjects. 

d2 



42 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

3. In the mean time the absence of the Conqueror in 
England produced the most fatal effects. His officers, being 
no longer controlled by his justice, thought this a fit oppor- 
tunity for extortion ; while the English, no longer awed by 
his presence, thought it the happiest occasion for vindicating 
their freedom. 

4. The English had entered into a conspiracy to cut off 
their invaders, and fixed the day for their intended massa- 
cre, which v was to be on Ash-Wednesday, during the time 
of divine service, when all the Normans would be unarmed 
as penitents, according to the discipline of the times. But 
William's return quickly disconcerted all their schemes ; and 
from that time forward he began to lose all confidence in his 
English subjects, and to regard them as inveterate and ir- 
reconcilable enemies. 5. He had already raised such a 
number of fortresses in the kingdom, that he no longer 
dreaded the tumultuous or transient efforts of a disconcerted 
multitude ; he therefore determined to treat them as a con- 
quered nation ;* to indulge his own avarice, and that of his 
followers, by numerous confiscations : and to secure his 
power by humbling all who were able to make any resist- 
ance. 6. He proceeded to confiscate all the estates of the 
English gentry, and to grant them liberally to his Norman 
followers. Thus all the ancient and honourable families 
were reduced to beggary, and the English found themselves 
entirely excluded from every road that led either to honour 
or preferment. 

7. To keep the clergy as much as possible in his inter- 
ests, he appointed none but his own countrymen to the 
most considerable church dignities, and even displaced Sti- 
gand, archbishop of Canterbury, upon some frivolous pre- 
tences. 

William having crushed several conspiracies, and by 
punishing the malecontents, thus secured the peace of his 
dominions, now expected rest from his labours ; and, find- 

* So mercilessly did he treat the people whom he had conquered, and so 
determined was he to incapacitate them from future resistance to his power, 
that on the Northumbrians having revolted, in 1070, he gave orders to lay 
waste the fine fertile lands between the rivers Humber and Tees, for the ex- 
tent of sixty miles. Many flourishing towns, fine villages, and noble country- 
seats were accordingly burnt down ; the implements of husbandry destroyed, 
and the cattle driven away. The great lord Lyttleton, speaking of these 
cruel devastations, and those occasioned by the " Forest laws," observes, that 
Attila did no more deserve the name of the "Scourge of God," than this 
merciless tyrant, nor did he, nor any other destroyer of nations, make more 
navoc in an enemy's country than William did in his own. 



WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 43 

ing none either willing or powerful enough to oppose him, 
he hoped that the end of his reign would be marked with 
prosperity and peace. 8. But such is the blindness of 
human hope, that he found enemies where he least expected 
them : and such, too, as served to imbitter all the latter part of 
his life. His last troubles were excited by his own children, 
from the opposing of whom he could expect to reap neither 
glory nor gain. He had three sons, Robert, William, and 
Henry, besides several daughters. 9. Robert, his eldest son, 
surnamed Curthose from the shortness of his legs, was a 
prince who inherited all the bravery of his family and nation, 
but was rather bold than prudent: and was often heard to 
express his jealousy of his two brothers, William and Henry. 

These by greater assiduity, had wrought upon the cre- 
dulity and affections of the king, and consequently were the 
more obnoxious to Robert. 10. A mind, therefore, so well 
prepared for resentment soon found or made cause for an 
open rupture. The princes were one day in sport together, 
and, in the idle petulance of play, took it in their heads to 
throw water over their elder brother as he passed through the 
court, on leaving their apartment. Robert, all alive to sus- 
picion, quickly turned this frolic into studied indignity: and 
having these jealousies further inflamed by one of his favour- 
ites, he drew his sword, and ran up stairs, with intent to 
take revenge. 11. The whole castle was quickly filled 
with tumult, and it was not without some difficulty that the 
king himself was able to appease it. But he could not allay 
the animosity which, from that moment, ever after prevailed 
in his family. Robert, attended by several of his confederates, 
withdrew to Rouen that very night, hoping- to surprise the 
castle, but his design was defeated by the governor. 

12. The flame being thus kindled, the popular character of 
the prince, and a sympathy of manners, engaged all the young 
nobility of Normandy and Maine, as well as Anjou and Brit- 
tanny, to espouse his quarrel ; even his mother, it is said, sup- 
ported him by secret remittances, and aided him in this ob- 
stinate resistance by private encouragement. This unnatural 
contest continued for several years to inflame the Norman 
state, and William was at last obliged to have recourse to 
England, for supporting his authority against his son. 13. 
Accordingly, drawing an army of Englishmen together, he 
led them over to Normandy, where he soon compelled 
Robert and his adherents to quit the field, and he was quickly 
reinstated in all his dominions.* 

* In one of the battles between the forces of William and his son Robert, 



44 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

William had scarcely put an end to this transaction, when 
he felt a very severe blow in the death of Matilda, his queen ; 
and in addition to this domestic calamity, he received infor- 
mation of a general insurrection in the Norman government. 

14. Upon his arrival on the continent, he found that the 
insurgents had been secretly assisted and excited by the king 
of France, whose policy consisted in thus lessening the Nor- 
man power, by creating dissensions among the nobles of its 
different provinces. William's displeasure was not a little 
increased by the account he received of some railleries which 
that monarch had thrown out against him. This so pro- 
voked the English monarch, that he sent him word, that 
he should soon set the kingdom of France in a name. 

15 In order to perform this promise, he levied a strong 
army, and, entering the isle of France, destroyed and burned 
all the villages and houses without opposition, and took the 
town of Mantua, which he reduced to ashes. But the pro- 
gress of these hostilities was stopped by an accident, which 
shortly after put an end to William's life. 

His horse chancing to place his fore-foot on some hot 
ashes, plunged so violently, that the rider was thrown for- 
ward, and bruised upon the pommel of the saddle to such a 
degree, that he suffered a relapse, of which he died, shortly 
after, at a little village near Rouen. — Sept. 9,1087.* 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS 



Popes. 

a.d. 

Alexander II 1061 

Gregory VII 1073 

Victor III 1086 

Emperors of the East. 
ConstantineXII... 1059 



A.D. 

RomanusIV 1063 

Michael VII 1071 

Nicephorus 1 1078 

Alexis 1 1081 

Emperor of the West. 
Henry IV 1056 



King of France. 

A.D. 

Philip I...., 1060 

Kings of Scotland. 

Malcolm III 1059 

Donald VIII 1068 



the latter happened to engage the king, whose face was concealed by his 
helmet, and, both of them being valiant, a fierce combat ensned, till the young 
prince wounded his father in the arm, and unhorsed him. On his calling out 
for assistance, his voice discovered him to his son, who, struck with remorse, 
threw himself at his father's feet, and craved pardon for his offence ; but Wil- 
liam, who was highly exasperated, gave him his malediction. He was how- 
ever, afterwards, reconciled to him, and on his return to England, Robert was 
successfully employed in retaliating an invasion of Malcolm, king of Scotland. 
* In this reign justices of the peace were first appointed in England. 
The Tower of London was built. A general survey of all the lands of the 
kingdom made, their value, proprietors, quality of the soil, &c. and entered 
in a register, called Doomsday-book, which is still preserved in the exche- 
quer, and is considered the most Valuable monument of antiquity possessed 
by any nation. The curfew (or (over tire) boll established, at which signal 
all fires and candles were> arbitrarily extinguished at eight o'clock in the 
evening. 



WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 45 



EMINENT PERSONS. 



Prince Edgar Atheling. Stigand and Lanfranc, archbishops of Canterbury. 
Edwin and Morcar, earls of Northumberland and Mercia. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. In what manner was William received by the nobility and clergy ? 

2. Where and by whom was he crowned ? 

4. What, conspiracy did the English enter into ? 

5. In what way did William determine to treat his English subjects ? 

6. 7. What measures did he adopt to degrade the English ? 
9. What were the troubles which afflicted William ? 

10, 11. What frolic was it that led to the serious consequences that followed ? 

12. Who espoused Robert's cause ? 

13. What happened in one of the engagements between the forces of the 

king and his son ? (See the note.) 

14. What inducement had the king of France to assist the insurgents ? 

15. What caused William's death? 

What valuable ancient record is preserved in the exchequer, and what 
was its use ? (See the note.) 



CHAPTER V. 

WILLIAM RUFUS. 



Born 1060. Died August 2d, 1100. Began to reign Sept. 9th, 1087. Reigned 
12J years. 

1. (A. D. 1087.) William, surnamed Rufus, from the 
colour of his hair, was appointed, by the king's will, his 
successor, while the elder son, Robert, was left in posses- 
sion of Normandy. Nevertheless, the Norman barons 
were from the beginning displeased at the division of the 
empire by the late king : they eagerly desired a union as 
before, and looked upon Robert as the proper owner of the 
whole. A powerful conspiracy was therefore carried on 
against William ; and Odo, the late king's brother, under- 
took to conduct it to maturity. 

2. William, sensible of the danger that threatened him, 
endeavoured to gain the affections of the native English, 
whom he prevailed upon by promises of future good treat- 



46 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ment, and preference in the distribution of his favours, to 
espouse his interests, 3. He was soon, therefore, in the 
field ; and, at the head of a numerous army, showed him- 
self in readiness to oppose all who should dispute his pre- 
tensions. In the mean time Robert, instead of employing 
himself in levies, to support his friends in England, squan- 
dered his resources away in idle expenses and unmerited 
benefits, so that he procrastinated his departure till the op- 
portunity was lost: while William exerted himself with 
incredible activity to dissipate the confederacy before his 
brother could arrive. 4. Nor was this difficult to effect ; 
the conspirators had, in consequence of Robert's assurances, 
taken possession of some fortresses ; but the appearance 
of the king soon reduced them to implore his mercy. He 
granted them their lives ; but confiscated all their estates, 
and banished them the kingdom. 

5. A new breach was made some time after between the 
brothers, on which Rums found means to encroach still 
farther upon Robert's possessions. Every conspiracy thus 
detected served to enrich the king, who took care to apply 
to his own use those treasures which had been amassed for 
the purpose of dethroning him. 

6. (A.D. 1097.) But the memory of these transient 
broils and unsuccessful treasons, was now totally eclipsed 
by one of the most noted enterprises that ever adorned the 
annals of nations, or excited the attention of mankind : I 
mean the crusades, which were now first projected. Peter 
the Hermit, a native of Amiens, in Picardy, was a man of 
great zeal, courage, and piety. 7. He had made a pilgrimage 
to the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, and beheld, with indig- 
nation, the cruel manner in which the Christians were 
treated by the infidels, who were in possession of that place. 

He preached the crusade over Europe, by the pope's 
permission, and men of all ranks flew to arms with the 
utmost alacrity to rescue the Holy Land from the infidels, 
and each bore the sign of the cross upon his right shoulder, 
as a mark of their devotion to the cause. 8. In the midst 
of the universal ardour that was diffused over Europe, men 
were not entirely forgetful of their temporal interests ; for 
some, hoping for a more magnificent settlement in the soft 
regions of Asia, sold their European property for whatever 
they could obtain, contented with receiving any thing for 
what they were predetermined to relinquish. 9. Among 
the princes who felt and acknowledged this general spirit 



WILLIAM RUFUS. 47 

of enterprise, was Robert duke of Normandy. The cru- 
sade was entirely adapted to his inclinations and his circum- 
stances ; he was brave, zealous, covetous of glory, poor, 
harassed by insurrections, and what was more than all, na- 
turally fond of change. In order, therefore, to supply money 
to defray the necessary charges of so expensive an under- 
taking, he offered to mortgage his dukedom in Normandy 
to his brother Rufus for a stipulated sum of money. 10. 
This sum, which was no greater than ten thousand marks, 
was readily promised by Rufus, whose ambition was upon 
the watch to seize every advantage. 

But though the cession of Maine and Normandy greatly 
increased the king's territories, they added but little to his 
real power, and his new subjects were composed of men 
of independent spirits, more ready to dispute than to obey 
his commands. 11. Many were the revolts and insurrec- 
tions which he was obliged to quell in person ; and no 
sooner was one conspiracy suppressed, than another rose to 
give him disquietude. 

However, Rufus proceeded, careless of approbation or 
censure ; and continued to extend his dominions, either by 
purchase or conquest. 12. The earl of Poictiers and 
Guienne, inflamed with the desire of going upon the cru- 
sade, had gathered an immense multitude for that expedi- 
tion, but wanted money to forward his preparations. He 
had recourse, therefore, to Rufus, and offered to mortgage 
all his dominions, without much considering what would 
become of his unhappy subjects that he thus disposed of. 

13. The king accepted this offer with his usual avidity, 
and had prepared a fleet and an army, in order to take pos- 
session of the rich provinces thus consigned to his trust. 
But an accident put an end to all his ambitious projects : 
he was shot by an arrow that Sir Walter Tyrrel* discharged 
at a deer in the New Forest, which, glancing from a tree,f 
struck the king to the heart. 14. He dropped dead instan- 
taneously ; while the innocent author of his death, terrified 

* A French gentleman, remarkable for his skill in archery. 

t It is a no less interesting historical fact, than a botanical curiosity, 
abundantly proving the longevity of the oak, that this celebrated tree is now 
standing, though in the last stage of decay, near Malvvood Castle, in the 
centre of the New Forest. It was first paled round by an order of Charles II 

The rampart which surrounds the Tower of London, and Westminster 
hall, are the principal monuments which remain of Rufus's reign. At the 
time of his death he was forty-two years of age, and had reigned thirteen. 



48 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



at the accident, put spurs to his horse, hastened to the sea- 
shore, embarked for France, and joined the crusade that 
was then setting out for Jerusalem. 



Popes. 

Victor III 

Urban II 

Pascal II 


CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 

Emperors of the East. King of France. 

AD. A.D. A.D. 

.. 1086 Alexis 1 1081 Philip 1 1060 

.. 1088 

. . 1099 Emperor of the West. King of Scotland. 

Henry IV 1056 Donald VIII 1068 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Lanfranc and Anselm, archbishops of Canterbury. Odo, bishop of Bayeux. 
Flamlard, bishop of Durham. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who succeeded William the Conqueror ? 

2. By what means did Rufus induce the English to support his interest ? 

3. How did Robert employ his money ? 

5. What was the conduct of the king on the detection of conspiracies 

against him ? 
7. Relate the origin of the crusades. 
9. What is the character of the duke of Normandy ? 

12. Who offered to mortgage his dominions to Rufus ? 

13. What caused the death of Rufus ? 



HENRY I. 49 

CHAPTER VI. 

HENRY I. 

Born 1068. Died Dec. 2d. 1135. Began to reign August 5th. 1100. Reigned 
35 years. 

1. (A.D. 1100.) Henry, surnamed Beauclerc,* the 
late king's younger brother, who had been hunting in the 
New Forest when Rufus was slain, took the earliest ad- 
vantage of the occasion, and hastening to Winchester, re- 
solved to secure the royal treasures, which he knew to be 
the best assistant in seconding his aims. The barons, as 
well as the people, acquiesced in a claim which they were 
unprovided to resist, and yielded obedience, from the fear 
of immediate danger. 

2. Henry, to ingratiate himself with the people, expelled 
from court all the minister's of his brothers debauchery and 
arbitrary power. One thing only remained to confirm his 
claims without danger of a rival. The English remembered 
the Saxon monarchs with gratitude, and beheld them ex- 
cluded the throne with regret. 3. There still remained 
some of the descendants of that favourite line ; and amongst 
others, Matilda, the niece of Edgar Atheling ; which lady, 
having declined all pretensions to royalty, was bred in a 
convent, and had actually taken the veil. 4. Upon her 
Henry first fixed his eyes as a proper consort, by whose 
means the long breach between the Saxon and Norman in- 
terest would be finally united. It only remained to get over 
the scruple of her being a nun ; but this a council devoted 
to his interests readily admitted, and Matilda being pro- 
nounced free to marry, the nuptials were celebrated with 
great pomp and solemnity.! 

5. It was at this unfavourable juncture that Robert re- 
turned from abroad ; and, after taking possession of his 

* "Henry was called 'Beauclerc,' from his attention to learning; he had 
heard his father say, that ' Illiterate kings were little better than crowned 
asses,' and determined not to come under that description." — Camden. 

t Queen Matilda was the delight of the English, both on account of her 
descent and goodness of heart. To her we owe the first stone arched bridges 
England ever possessed : she built two at Stratford, in Essex, (thence called 
De Arcubus, or Le Bow), where she had nearly been drowned for want of 
such a convenience. 

E 



50 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

native dominions, laid his claim to the crown of England. 
But proposals for an accommodation being made, it was 
stipulated that Robert, upon the payment of a certain sum, 
should resign his pretensions to England ; and that, if 
either of the princes died without issue, the other should 
succeed to his dominions. This treaty being ratified, the 
armies on each side were disbanded : and Robert, having 
lived two months in the utmost harmony with his brother, 
returned in peace to his own dominions. 

6. But Robert's indiscretion soon rendered him unfit to 
govern any state ; he was totally averse to business, and 
only studious of the more splendid amusements or enjoy- 
ments of life. His servants pillaged him without compunc- 
tion ; and he is described as lying whole days in bed for 
want of clothes, of which they had robbed him. 7. His 
subjects were treated still more deplorably; for, being under 
the command of petty and rapacious tyrants, who plundered 
them without mercy, the whole country was become a scene 
of violence and depredation. It was in this miserable exi- 
gence that the Normans at length had recourse to Henry, 
from whose wise administration of his own dominions, they 
expected a similitude of prosperity, should he take the 
reins of theirs. 8. Henry very readily promised to re- 
dress their grievances, as he knew it would be the direct 
method to second his own ambition. The year ensuing, 
therefore, he landed in Normandy with a strong army, took 
possession of the principal towns ; and a battle ensuing, 
Robert's forces were totally overthrown, and he himself 
taken prisoner, with nearly ten thousand of his men, and 
all the considerable barons who had adhered to his misfor- 
tunes. 9. This victory was followed by the final reduction 
of Normandy, while Henry returned in triumph to England, 
leading with him his captive brother, who, after a life of 
bravery, generosity, and truth, now found himself deprived 
not only of his patrimony and friends, but also his freedom. 
Henry, unmindful of his brother's former magnanimity with 
regard to him, detained him a prisoner during the remainder 
of his life, which was no less than twenty-eight years ; and 
he died in the castle of Cardiff, Glamorganshire. 10. It 
is even said by some, that he was deprived of his sight by 
a red-hot copper basin applied to his eyes ; while his brother 
attempted to stifle the reproaches of his conscience, by 
founding the abbey of Reading, which was then considered 
a sufficient atonement for every degree of barbarity. 



HENRY I. 51 

11. Fortune now seemed to smile upon Henry, and pro- 
mise a long succession of felicity. He was in peaceable 
possession of two powerful states, and had a son, who was 
acknowledged his undisputed heir, arrived at his eighteenth 
year, whom he loved most tenderly. His daughter Matilda 
was also married to the emperor Henry V. of Germany, 
and she had been sent to that court, while yet but eight years 
old, for her education. 12. All his prospects, however, 
were at once clouded by unforeseen misfortunes, and acci- 
dents, which tinctured his remaining years with misery. 
The king, from the facility with which he usurped the 
crown, dreading that his family might be subverted with 
the same ease, took care to have his son recognized as his 
successor by the states of England, and carried him over to 
Normandy, to receive the homage of the barons of that 
duchy. 13. After performing this requisite ceremony, 
Henry, returning triumphantly to England, brought with 
him a numerous retinue of the chief nobility, who seemed 
to share in his success. In one of the vessels of the fleet, 
his son and several young noblemen, the companions of his 
pleasures, went together, to render the passage more agree- 
able. The king set sail from Harfleur,* and was soon 
carried by a fair wind out of sight of land. 14. The prince 
was detained by some accident ; and his sailors, as well as 
their captain, Fitz-Stephen, having spent the interval in 
drinking, became so disordered, that they ran the ship upon 
a rock, and immediately it was dashed to pieces. The 
prince was put into the boat and might have escaped, had 
he not been called back by the cries of Maude, his natural 
sister. He was at first conveyed out of danger himself, but 
could not leave a person so dear to perish without an effort 
to save her. He, therefore, prevailed upon the sailors to row 
back and take her in. 15. The approach of the boat giving 
several others, who had been left upon the wreck, the hopes 
of saving their lives, numbers leaped in, and the whole 
went to the bottom. About a hundred and forty young 
noblemen, of the principal families of England and Nor- 
mandy, were lost on this occasion. A butcher of Rouen 
was the only person on board who escaped ; he clung to 
the mast, and was taken up the next morning by some fish- 
ermen. 16. Fitz-Stephen, the captain, while the butcher 
was thus buffeting the waves for his life, swam up to him 
and enquired if the prince was yet living ; when being told 
* A town of Normandy in France. 



52 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

that he had perished, " then I will not outlive him," said 
the captain, and immediately sunk to the bottom. The 
shrieks of these unfortunate people were heard from the 
shore, and the noise even reached the king's ship, but the 
cause was then unknown. 17. Henry entertained hopes, 
for three days, that his son had put into some distant port 
in England ; but when certain intelligence of the calamity 
was brought to him he fainted away, and was never seen to 
smile from that moment till the day of his death, which 
followed some time after at St. Dennis, a little town in Nor- 
mandy, from eating too plentifully of lampreys, a dish he 
was particularly fond of. He died in the sixty-seventh 
year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign, leaving by 
will his daughter Matilda heiress of all his dominions. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. On the death of Rufus, what was the conduct of Henry ? 

2. What method did Henry take to ingratiate himself in his subjects' fa- 

vour? 

4. To whom was Henry married ? 

5. Was there any other claimant to the crown of England ? 

6. 7. What was the conduct of Robert at this time, and to what disasters 

did it lead ? 
9. In what way was the captive Robert treated by his brother ? 

11. What was the situation of Henry at this time ? 

12. For what purpose did Henry carry his son to Normandy ? 
15. Relate the fatal accident that befel many of the nobility. 
17. What was the cause of the king's death ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A. D. 

Pascal II 1099 

GelastiusII 1118 

CalixtusII 1119 

Honorius II 1124 

Innocent II 1130 

Emperors of the East. 

Alexis 1 1081 



A.D. 

John Comnenus . . . 1118 

Emperors of the West. 

Henry IV 1056 

Henry V 1106 

Lotharius 1125 

Kings of France. 
Philip 1 1060 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



A.D. 

Louis VI 1108 

Kings of Scotland. 

Donald VIII 1068 

Edgar 1108 

Alexander 1117 

David 1124 



Anselm and Radulph, archbishops of Canterbury. William Crito, son of 
duke Robert of Normandy. Robert earl of Shrewsbury. The Empress 
Matilda* 

* She was the only daughter and surviving legitimate child of Henry ; 
she was married to Henry V. emperor of Germany, but having become a 
widow in the year 1126, she returned to her father's court, and continued to 
receive the honorary title of empress. In the following year Henry, while 



STEPHEN. 53 



CHAPTER VII. 



STEPHEN. 

Bom 1104. Died Oct. 25th, 1154. Began to reign Dec. 26th, 1135. Reigned 
18$ years. 

1. (A. D. 1135.) No sooner was the king known to be 
dead, than Stephen, son of Adela, the king's sister, and the 
count of Blois,* conscious of his own power and influence, 
resolved to secure himself the possession of what he so long 
desired. He speedily hastened from Normandy, and ar- 
riving at London, was immediately saluted king by all the 
lower ranks of people. 2. Being thus secure of the peo- 
ple, his next step was to gain over the clergy ; and, for that 
purpose, his brother, the bishop of Winchester, exerted all 
his influence among them with great success. f Thus was 
Stephen made king by one of those speedy revolutions 
which ever mark the barbarity of a state in which they are 
customary. 

3. The first acts of an usurper are always popular. Ste- 
phen, in order to secure his tottering throne, passed a char- 
ter, granting several privileges to the different orders of the 
state : — To the nobility a permission to hunt in their own 
forests ; to the clergy, a speedy filling of all vacant bene- 
fices; and, to the people, a restoration of the laws of Ed- 
ward the Confessor. To fix himself still more securely, 
he took possession of the royal treasures at Winchester, 
and had his title ratified by the pope with a part of the 
money. 

4. It was not long, however, that Matilda delayed assert- 
ing her claim to the crown. She landed upon the coast of 

in Normandy, became attached to Geoffry Martel, the young count of Anjou, 
who had changed his name to Plantagenet, from his custom of wearing in 
his helmet a bunch of flowering broom {plunte-de-genel) instead of a plume ; 
not content with becoming his godfather in chivalry, the king resolved that 
Matilda should receive the young count of Anjou as her second husband. 
This marriage was contracted without the consent of the estates of the realms 
of England and Normandy ; being therefore deemed illegal, it afforded Ste- 
phen a pretext for usurping the throne. — William of Malmesbury. 

* A city in France. 

t " Stephen was a man of great facetiousness, and much of his success Is 
to be imputed to the familiar pleasantry of his conversation." — William of 
Malmesbury. 

E 2 



54 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Sussex, assisted by Robert earl of Gloucester, natural son 
of the late king. The whole of Matilda's retinue, upon 
this occasion, amounted to no more than one hundred and 
forty knights, who immediately took possession of Arundel 
castle ; but the nature of her claim soon increased the num- 
ber of her partisans, and her forces every day seemed to 
gain ground upon those of her antagonist. 5. Mean time, 
Stephen being assured of her arrival, flew to besiege Arun- 
del, where she had taken refuge, and where she was pro- 
tected by the queen dowager, who secretly favoured her 
pretensions. This fortress was too feeble to promise a long 
defence ; and would have soon been taken had it not been 
represented to the king that, as it was a castle belonging to 
the queen dowager, it would be an infringement on the re- 
spect due to her to attempt taking it by force 

6. There was a spirit of generosity mixed with the rude- 
ness of the times that unaccountably prevailed in many 
transactions. Stephen permitted Matilda to come forth in 
safety, and had her conveyed with security to Bristol, 
another fortress equally strong with that from which he 
permitted her to retire. 7. It would be tedious to relate the 
various skirmishes on either side, in pursuance of their re- 
spective pretensions ; it will suffice to say that Matilda's 
forces increased every day, while her antagonist seemed 
every hour to become weaker : and a victory gained by the 
queen threw Stephen from the throne into a prison, and 
exalted Matilda in his room. Matilda was crowned at 
Winchester with all imaginable solemnity. 

8. Matilda, however, was unfit for government. She 
affected to treat the nobility with a degree of disdain to 
which they had long been unaccustomed ; so that the fickle 
nation once more began to pity their deposed king, and 
repent the steps they had taken in her favour. The bishop 
of Winchester was not remiss in fomenting these discon- 
tents ; and when he found the people ripe for a tumult, 
detached a party of his friends and vassals to block up the 
city of London, where the queen then resided. 9. At the 
same time measures were taken to instigate the Londoners 
to a revolt, and to seize her person. Matilda, having timely 
notice of this conspiracy, fled to Winchester, whither the 
bishop, still her secret enemy, followed her, watching an 
opportunity to ruin her cause. His party was soon suf- 
ficiently strong to bid the queen open defiance, and to be- 
siege her in the very place where she first received his 



STEPHEN. 



55 




Imprisonment of king Stephen. 



benediction. 10. There she continued for some time ; but 
the town being pressed by a famine, she was obliged to 
escape ; while her brother, the earl of Gloucester, endea- 
vouring to follow, was taken prisoner, and exchanged for 
Stephen, who still continued a captive. Thus a sudden 
revolution once more took place ; Matilda was deposed, and 
obliged to seek for safety in Oxford. Stephen was again 
recognized as the king, and taken from his dungeon to be 
replaced on the throne. 

11. But he was now to enter the lists with a new op- 
poser, who was every day coming to maturity, and growing 
more formidable. This was Henry, the son of Matilda, 
who had now reached his sixteenth year; and gave the 
greatest hopes of being one day a valiant leader and a con- 
summate politician. 

12. With the wishes of the people in his favour, young 
Henry was resolved to claim his hereditary kingdom, and 
to dispute once more Stephen's usurped pretensions ; he ac- 
cordingly made an invasion on England, where he was im- 
mediately joined by almost all the barons of the kingdom. 

13. In the mean time, Stephen, alarmed at the power 
and popularity of his young rival, tried every method to 
anticipate the purpose of an invasion ; but finding it im- 
possible to turn the torrent, he was obliged to have recourse 
to treaty. It was, therefore, agreed, by all parties, that 
Stephen should reign during his life ; and that justice should 



56 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



be administered in his name : that Henry should, on Ste- 
phen's death, succeed to the kingdom ; and William, Ste- 
phen's son, should inherit Boulogne and his patrimonial 
estate. 14. After all the barons had sworn to this treaty, 
which filled the whole kingdom with joy, Henry evacuated 
England; and Stephen returned to the peaceful enjoyment 
of his throne. His reign, however, was soon after termin- 
ated by his death, which happened about a year after the 
treaty, at Canterbury, where he was interred. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who succeeded Henry the first? 

2. What measures were taken to secure the throne ? 

3. What were the first acts of Stephen ? 

4. Was there no opposition to Stephen ? 

6. What was Stephen's conduct towards Matilda ? 

7. Did Matilda succeed in recovering the throne ? 

8. Had Matilda's conduct any serious consequences ? 
10. Whither did Matilda flee for safety ? 

In what manner did she escape ? 
] 1. Had Stephen any new opposer ? 

12. Who joined Henry when he invaded England ? 

13. Of what nature was the treaty between the two parties? 





CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 


Popes. 


A.D. 


A.D. 


Kings of France. 


Celestine II 


. 1143 


Man. Comnenus... 1143 


A.D. 


Lucius II 


. 1144 




Louis VI 1108 


Eugenius III 


. 1145 


Emperors of the West. 


Louis VII 1137 


Anastasius IV. . . . 


. 1153 






Adrian IV 


. 1154 


Lothaire II 1125 

Conrad III 1138 


King of Scotland. 


Emperors of the East. 


Frederic 1 1152 


David 1 1124 


John Comnenus. . 


. 1118 







EMINENT PERSONS. 

John of Salisbury, Henry of Huntingdon, Roger de Hoveden, Geoffrey of 
Monmouth, (historians.) Curboil and Theobald, archhishops of Canterbury. 
Thurston, archbishop of York, and lieutenant to the king, who appointed 
Ralph, bishop of Durham, his general against the Scots. Robert, Earl of 
Gloucester, Ranulph, earl of Chester. 



HENRY II. 57 

CHAPTER VIII. 

HENRY II. 

Born 1132. Died July 6th, 1189. Began to reign Dec. 8th, 1154.* Reigned 
34? years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1155.) The first act of Henry's government 
gave the people a happy omen of his future wise adminis- 
tration. Conscious of his power, he began to correct those 
abuses, and to resume those privileges, which had been 
extorted from the weakness or the credulity of his pre- 
decessors. He immediately dismissed those mercenary 
soldiers who committed infinite disorders in the nation. 
2. He resumed many of those benefactions which had been 
made to churches and monasteries in the former reigns. 
He gave charters to several towns, by which the citizens 
claimed their freedom and privileges, independent of any 
superior but himself. These charters were the ground- 
work of English liberty. The struggles which had before 
this time been, whether the king, or the barons, or the 
clergy, should be despotic over the people, now began to 
assume a new aspect ; and a fourth order, namely, that of 
the more opulent of the people, began to claim a share in 
administration. Thus was the feudal government first 
impaired ; and liberty began to be more equally diffused 
throughout the nation. 

4. Henry being thus become the most powerful prince 
of his age, the undisputed monarch of England, possessed 
of more than a third of France, and having humbled the 
barons that would circumscribe his power, he might na- 
turally be expected to reign with very little opposition for 
the future. But it happened otherwise. He found the 
severest mortifications from a quarter where he least ex- 
pected resistance. 

5. The famous Thomas a Becket, the first man of Eng- 
lish extraction who had, since the Norman conquest, risen 
to any share of power, was the son of a citizen of London. 

* He was on the continent, at the time of Stephen's death, and the 
commencement of his reign is dated from Ihe day of his landing in England. 



58 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Having received his early education in the schools of that 
metropolis, he resided some time at Paris ; and, on his 
return, became clerk in the sheriff's office. Prom that 
humble station he rose, through the gradations of office, 
until at last he was made archbishop of Canterbury — a 
dignity second only to that of the king.* 

6. No sooner was he fixed in this high station, which 
rendered him for life the second person in the kingdom, 
than he endeavoured to retrieve the character of sanctity 
which his former levities might have appeared to oppose. 
He was in his person the most mortified man that could be 
seen. He wore sackcloth next his skin. He changed it 
so seldom, that it was filled with dirt and vermin. His 
usual diet was bread ; his drink water, which he rendered 
farther unpalatable, by the mixture of unsavory herbs. 
7. His back was mangled with frequent discipline. He 
every day washed on his knees the feet of thirteen beggars. 
Thus pretending to sanctity, he set up for being a defender 
of the privileges of the clergy, which had for a long time 
been enormous, and which it was Henry's aim to abridge. 

8. An opportunity soon offered, and gave him a popular 
pretext for beginning his intended reformation. A man in 
holy orders had debauched the daughter of a gentleman in 
Worcestershire ; and then murdered the father to prevent 

* The parentage of this extraordinary man was truly romantic. His fa- 
ther, Gilbert Beck, or Becket, while serving as a private soldier in Palestine, 
was taken prisoner by a Saracen chief. He had the good fortune to engage 
the affections of his master's daughter, and by her aid made his escape. She 
soon after took the desperate resolution of quitting her home and country in 
search of the object of her love, and though the only two words of any 
western language which she knew were London and Gilbert, set out for 
Europe. By the aid of the former word she secured a passage on board an 
English vessel ; and when she was landed on the banks of the Thames, she 
ran from street to street, calling out the latter name, until chance brought her 
into the presence of Gilbert himself. The strangeness of the event excited 
universal attention, and the young Saracen, after being baptized by the 
Christian name of Matilda, became the wife of Gilbert Becket. Thomas 
was their eldest son, and was educated in all the learning and accomplish- 
ments of the age. He was in early life taken under the patronage of Thibaut, 
or Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, and by the favour of that prelate 
was permitted to enjoy indulgences which the Norman conquerors had pro- 
hibited to all of Saxon descent. During the reign of Stephen, Becket and his 
patron were warm supporters of Henry's claim to the English crown, and in 
consequence he was rewarded at the commencement of the new reign with 
the high office of chancellor of England. In this situation he was distin- 
guished by his zeal in defence of the royal prerogative, and by the extrava- 
gant pomp and luxury of his establishment. Henry believing that the 
companion of his games, his wars, and even his debaucheries, would be 
subservient to his desires of limiting the power of the church, elevated 
Becket to the see of Canterbury, but found loo late that he had only given 
to the holy see a zealous champion, and to himself a dangerous antagonist. 



HENRY II. 59 

the effects of his resentment. The atrociousness of the 
crime produced a spirit of indignation among the people ; 
and the king insisted that the assassin should be tried by 
the civil magistrate. This Becket opposed, alleging the 
privileges of the church. 

9. In order to determine this matter, the king summoned 
a general council of the nobility and prelates at Clarendon, 
to whom he submitted this great and important affair, and 
desired their concurrence. These councils seem at that 
time convened rather to give authenticity to the king's de- 
crees, than to enact laws that were to bind their posterity. 
A number of regulations were then drawn up, which were 
afterwards well known under the title of the Constitutions 
of Clarendon, and were then voted without opposition. 
10. By these regulations it was enacted, that clergymen 
accused of any crime should be tried in the civil courts ; 
that laymen should not be tried in the spiritual courts, ex- 
cept by legal and reputable witnesses. These, with some 
others of less consequence, or implied in the above, to the 
number of sixteen, were readily subscribed to by all the 
bishops present: Becket himself, who at first showed some 
reluctance, added his name to the number. But Alexander, 
who was then pope, condemned them in the strongest 
terms ; abrogated, annulled, and rejected them. 

11. This produced a contest between the king and 
Becket, who, having attained the highest honours the 
monarch could bestow, took part with his holiness. In the 
midst of this dispute, Becket, with an intrepidity peculiar 
to himself, arraying himself in his episcopal vestments, 
and with the cross in his hand, went forward to the king's 
palace, and, entering the royal apartments, sat down, hold- 
ing up his cross as his banner of protection. 12. There 
he put himself, in the most solemn manner, under the pro- 
tection of the supreme pontiff ; and, upon receiving a re- 
fusal of permission to leave the kingdom, he secretly with- 
drew in disguise, and at last found means to cross over to 
the continent. 

The intrepidity of Becket, joined to his apparent sanc- 
tity, gained him a favourable reception upon the continent, 
both from the people and the governors. 

13. The pope and he were not remiss to retort their ful- 
minations, and to shake the very foundation of the king's 
authority. Becket compared himself to Christ, who had 
been condemned by a lay tribunal, and who was crucified 



60 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 

anew in the present oppressions, under which the church 
laboured. But he did not rest in complaints only. 14. He 
issued out a censure, excommunicating the king's chief 
ministers by name, all that were concerned in sequestering 
the revenues of his see, and all who obeyed or favoured the 
constitutions of Clarendon. 

Frequent attempts indeed were made towards an accom- 
modation ; but the mutual jealousies which each bore the 
other, and their anxiety not to lose the least advantage in 
the negociation, often protracted this desirable treaty. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What were the first acts of Henry's power ? 

2. What was the ground-work of English liberty ? 

4. Describe the possessions of Henry at this time. 

5. Who was Thomas a Becket ? 

How did he rise to be archbishop of Canterbury ? 

6. What was the character and manner of life of Becket ? 
9. What proceeding took place at the council of Clarendon ? 

10. What were these regulations ? 

11, 12. Describe Becket's conduct in the king's palace. 

13. To whom did Becket compare himself? and why? 

14. How did Becket act ? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A. D. 1170.) At length, however, the mutual aim 
of both made a reconciliation necessary ; but nothing could 
exceed the insolence with which Becket conducted himself 
upon his first landing in England. Instead of retiring 
quietly to his diocese, with that modesty which became a 
man just pardoned by his king, he made a progress through 
Kent, in all the splendour and magnificence of a sovereign 
pontiff. 2. As he approached Southwark, the clergy, the 
laity, men of all ranks and ages, came forth to meet him, 
and celebrated his triumphal entry with hymns of joy. 
Thus confident of the voice and hearts of the people, he 
began to launch forth his thunders against those who had 
been his former opposers. The archbishop of York, who 
had crowned Henry's eldest son in his absence, was the 
first against whom he denounced sentence of suspension. 
3. The bishops of London and Salisbury he actually ex- 
communicated. One man he excommunicated for having 
spoken against him ; and another for having cut off the 
tail of one of his horses. 



HENRY II. 



61 




Death of Thomas a Becket. 



Henry was then in Normandy, while the primate was 
thus triumphantly parading through the kingdom ; and it 
was not without the utmost indignation that he received 
information of his turbulent insolence. 4. When the sus- 
pended and excommunicated prelates arrived with their 
complaints, his anger knew no bounds. He broke forth 
into the most acrimonious expressions against that arrogant 
churchman, whom he had raised from the lowest station to 
be the plague of his life, and the continual disturber of his 
government. The archbishop of York remarked to him, 
that so long as Becket lived, he could never expect to enjoy 
peace or tranquillity : and the king himself burst out into 
an exclamation, that he had no friends about him, or he 
would not so long have been exposed to the insults of that 
ungrateful hypocrite.* 5. These words excited the atten- 
tion of the whole court, and armed four of his resolute 
attendants to gratify their monarch's secret inclinations. 
The conspirators being joined by some assistance at the 
place of their meeting, proceeded to Canterbury with all 
that haste their bloody intentions required. 6. Advancing 



* The words made use of by the king on this occasion are said to be as 
follow : — " ' Is there not one of the crew of lazy, cowardly knights, whom I 
maintain, that will rid me of this turbulent priest, who came to court but 
t'other day on a lame horse, with nothing but his wallet behind him ?' This 
speech unfortunately animated to action Reginald Fitzurse, William de 
Tracy, Hugh de Morvil, and Richard Brito."— Berington's Life of Thomas 
a Becket. 



62 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

directly to Becket's house, and entering - his apartment, they 
reproached him very fiercely for the rashness and insolence 
of his conduct. During the altercation, the time approached 
for Becket to assist at vespers, whither he went unguarded, 
the conspirators following, and preparing for their attempt. 
7. As soon as he reached the altar, where it is just to think 
he aspired to the glory of martyrdom, they all fell upon 
him ; and having cloven his head with repeated blows, he 
dropped down dead before the altar of St. Benedict,* which 
was besmeared with his blood and brains. 

8. Nothing could exceed the king's consternation upon 
receiving the first news of this prelate's catastrophe. He 
was instantly sensible that the murder would be ultimately 
imputed to him : and at length, in order to divert the minds 
of the people to a different object, he undertook an expedi- 
tion to Ireland. A. D. 1172. 

9. Ireland was at that time in pretty much the same 
situation that England had been after the first invasion of 
the Saxons. They had been early converted to Christianity ; 
and for three or four centuries after possessed a very large 
proportion of the learning of the times. Being undisturbed 
by foreign invasions, and perhaps too poor to invite the ra- 
pacity of conquerors, they enjoyed a peaceful life, which 
they gave up to piety, and such learning as was then thought 
necessary to promote it. 10. Of their learning, their arts, 
their piety, and even their polished manners, too many 
monuments remain to this day for us to make the least 
doubt concerning them ; but it is equally true, that in time 
they fell from these advantages ; their degenerate posterity, 
at the period we are now speaking of, were wrapped in the 
darkest barbarity. 

11. At the time when Henry first planned the invasion 
of the island, it was divided into five principalities ; namely, 
Leinster, Meath, Munster, Ulster, and Connaught ; each 
governed by its respective monarch. As it had been usual 
for one or other of those to take the lead in the wars, he 
was denominated sole monarch of the kingdom, and pos- 
sessed of power resembling that of the early Saxon mo- 
narchs in England. Roderic O'Connor, king of Connaught, 
was then advanced to this dignity, and Dermot M'Morrough 
was king of Leinster. 12. This last-named prince, a weak, 
licentious tyrant, had carried off the daughter of the king of 

* St. Benedict, the founder of the religious order which bears his name, 
was born in Italy about the year 480, and early embraced a solitary life. 



HENRY II. 63 

Meath, who, being strengthened by the alliance of the king 
of Connaught, invaded Dermot's dominions, and expelled 
him from his kingdom. The prince, thus justly punished, 
had recourse to Henry, who was at that time in Guienne ; 
and offered to hold his kingdom of the English crown, in 
case he recovered it by the king's assistance. 13. Henry 
readily accepted the offer ; but being at that time embarras- 
sed by more near interests, he only gave Dermot letters pa- 
tent, by which he empowered all his subjects to aid the Irish 
prince in the recovery of his dominions. Dermot, relying 
on this authority, returned to Bristol, where, after some dif- 
ficulty, he formed a treaty with Richard, surnamed Strong- 
bow, earl of Pembroke, who agreed to reinstate him in his 
dominions, upon condition of his being married to his 
daughter Eva, and declared heir of all his territory. 14. 
Being thus assured of assistance, he returned privately to 
Ireland, and concealed himself during the winter in the 
monastery of Ferns, which he had founded. Robert Fitz- 
stephens was the first knight who was able, in the ensuing 
spring, to fulfil his engagements, by landing with a hundred 
and thirty knights, sixty esquires, and three hundred arch- 
ers. 15. They were soon after joined by Maurice Pender- 
gast, who, about the same time, brought over ten knights and 
sixty archers ; and with this small body of forces they re- 
solved on beseiging Wexford, which was to be theirs by 
treaty. The town was quickly reduced ; and the adven- 
turers being reinforced by another body of men to the amount 
of a hundred and fifty, under the command of Maurice Fitz- 
gerald, composed an army that struck the barbarous natives 
with awe. 16. Roderic, the chief monarch of the island, 
ventured to oppose them, but he was defeated ; and soon 
after the prince of Ossory was obliged to submit, and give 
hostages for his future conduct. 

17. Dermot being thus reinstated in his hereditary do- 
minions, soon began to conceive hopes of extending the limits 
of his power, and making himself master of Ireland. With 
these views he endeavoured to expedite Strongbow, who, 
being personally prohibited by the king, was not yet come 
over. Dermot tried to inflame his ambition by the glory of 
the conquest, and his avarice by the advantages it would 
procure. He expatiated on the cowardice of the natives, 
and the certainty of his success. 18. Strongbow first sent 
over Raymond, one of his retinue, with ten knights and 
seventy archers ; and receiving permission shortly after for 



64 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

himself, he landed with two hundred horse and a hundred 
archers. All these English forces, now joining together, 
became irresistible ; and though the whole number did not 
amount to a thousand, yet such was the barbarous state of 
the natives, that they were everywhere put to the rout. The 
city of Waterford quickly surrendered ; Dublin was taken 
by assault ; and Strongbow soon after marrying Eva, accord- 
ing to treaty, became master of the kingdom of Leinster 
upon Dermot's decease. 

19. The island being thus in a manner wholly subdued, 
for nothing was capable of opposing the further progress of 
the English arms. Henry became willing to share in person 
those honours which the adventurers had already secured. 
20. He, therefore, shortly after landed in Ireland, at the 
head of five hundred knights and some soldiers ; not so 
much to conquer a disputed territory, as to take possession 
of a kingdom. Thus, after a trifling effort, in which very 
little money was expended, and little blood shed, that beau- 
tiful island became an appendage to the English crown, and 
as such it has ever since continued with unshaken fidelity. 



Questions for Examination, 
2, 3. How did Becket conduct himself on his return to England ? 

4. In what manner did Henry receive the complaints of Becket' s insolence? 

5, 6. What was the consequence of Henry's resentment I 

7. By what means did Henry divert the minds of the people ? 
9, 10. What was the situation of Ireland at this time ? 
J I. By whom was it governed ? 

12. What occasioned the interference of Henry? 

13. What followed this interference ? 

15. What further means were taken to subdue Ireland ? 

18. W T hat was the success of the English on their invading Ireland ? 

20. For what purpose did Henry go to Ireland ? 



SECTION III. 



1. (A.D. 1173.) The joy which this conquest diffused 
was verv great : but troubles of a domestic nature served to 
render the remainder of Henry's life a scene of turbulence 
and disquietude. 

Young Harry, the king's eldest son, was taught to believe 
himself injured, when, upon being crowned as partner in 
the kingdom, he was not admitted into a share of the admi- 
nistration. 2. His discontents were shared by his brothers 
Geoffrey and Richard, whom the queen persuaded to assert 



HENRY II. 



65 




^Kl%k 




Henry II. on his pilgrimage to Canterbury. 

their titles to the territories assigned them. Queen Eleanor 
herself was meditating an escape to the court of France, 
whither her sons had retired, and had put on man's apparel 
for that purpose, when she was seized by the king's order 
and put in confinement. 3. Thus Henry saw all his long 
perspective of future happiness totally clouded ; his sons 
scarcely yet arrived at manhood, eager to share the spoils of 
their father's possessions ; his queen warmly encouraging 
these undutiful princes in their rebellion ; and many poten- 
tates of Europe not ashamed to lend them assistance to sup- 
port these pretensions. 

4. It was not long before the young princes had sufficient 
influence upon the continent to raise a powerful confederacy 
in their favour. Henry, therefore, knowing the influence of 
superstition over the minds of the people, and perhaps ap- 
prehensive that a part of his troubles arose from the displea- 
sure of heaven, resolved to do penance at the shrine of St. 
Thomas, at Canterbury, for that was the name given to 
Becket upon his canonization. As soon as he came within 
sight of the church of Canterbury, alighting from his horse, 
he walked barefoot towards the town, and prostrated himself 
before the shrine* of the saint. Next day he received abso- 
lution ; and, departing for London, was acquainted with the 

* Here he was scourged by the monks, and passed the whole day and night 
fasting on the bare stones. 

f2 



66 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

agreeable news of a victory over the Scots, obtained on the 
very day of his absolution. 

5. From that time Henry's affairs began to wear a better 
aspect : the barons, who had revolted, or were preparing for 
a revolt, made instant submission ; they delivered up their 
castles to the victor ; and England, in a few weeks, was re- 
stored to perfect tranquillity. 6. Young Henry, who was 
ready to embark with a large army, to second the efforts of 
the English insurgents, finding all disturbances quieted at 
home, abandoned all thoughts of the expedition. This 
prince died soon after, in the twenty-sixth year of his age, 
of a fever, at Martel, not without the deepest remorse for 
his undutiful conduct towards his father. 

7. As this prince left no posterity, Richard was become 
heir in his room ; and he soon discovered the same ardent 
ambition that had misled his elder brother. A crusade hav- 
ing been once more projected, Richard, who had long wished 
to have all the glory of such an expedition to himself, and 
who could not bear to have even his father a partner in his 
victories, entered into a confederacy with the king of France, 
who promised to confirm him in those wishes at which he 
so ardently aspired. 8. By this, Henry found himself 
obliged to give up all hopes of taking the cross, and com- 
pelled to enter upon a war with France and his eldest son, 
who were unnaturally leagued against him. 

9. At last, however, a treaty was concluded, in which he 
was obliged to submit to many mortifying concessions : but 
still more so, when, upon demanding a list of the barons 
that it was stipulated he should pardon, he found his son 
John, his favourite child, among the number. He had long 
borne an infirm state of body with calm resignation. He 
had seen his children rebel without much emotion ; but 
when he saw that child, whose interest always lay next to 
his heart, among the number of those who were in rebellion 
against him, he could no longer contain his indignation. He 
broke out into expressions of the utmost despair ; cursed the 
day on which he had received his miserable being ; and be- 
stowed on his ungrateful children a malediction, which he 
never after could be prevailed upon to retract. 10. The 
more his heart was disposed to friendship and affection, the 
more he resented this barbarous return ; and now not having 
one corner in his heart where he could look for comfort or 
fly for refuge from his conflicting passions, he lost all his 
former vivacity. A lingering fever, caused by a broken 



HENRY II. 



07 



heart, soon after terminated his life and his miseries. He died 
at the castle of Chinon, near Saumur, in the fifty-eighth 
year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign , in the 
course of which he displayed all the abilities of a politician, 
all the sagacity of a legislator, and all the magnanimity of a 
hero ; sullied, however, by many instances of cruelty and 
perfidy, which were too commonly the characteristics of all 
the Plantaganets. 



Questions for Examination. 

2. By what means did Eleanor endeavour to escape ? 

3. In what way were Henry's prospects of future happiness clouded? 
4 What was the penance performed by Henry ? 

5. At what time did the affairs of Henry wear a better aspect ? 

6. Who endeavoured to assist the insurgents ? 

7. Did another of Henry's sons enter into a conspiracy ? and what was the 

consequence ? 

8. What were the misfortunes which led Henry to curse the day of his 

birth, and to bestow a malediction on his children ? 
10. What caused the death of Henry ? 
What was his character ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. a.d. 

Adrian IV* 1154 

Alexander III .... 1159 

Lucius III 1181 

Urban III 1185 

Gregory VIII 1187 

Clement III 1188 

Emperors of the East. 

Man. Commenus.. 1143 

Alexis II 1180 

Andronicus 1 1183 



Isaac Angelus.... 1185 

Emperor of the West. 
Frederick 1 1152 

Kings of France. 
Louis VII 1137 

Philip Augustus . . 1180 

Kings of Portugal. 
Alphonso 1 102 



A.D. 

Sanchol 1185 

King of Denmark 
Waldemarl.t.... 1157 

Kings of Scotland. 

David 1 1124 

Malcolm IV 1153 

William 1165 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Theobald, Becket, Richard, and Baldwin, archbishops of Canterbury. 
Strongbow, earl of Pembroke ; William Longsword, earl of Salisbury ; Geof- 
frey, archbishop of York ; and Morgan, bishop of Durham ; natural sons of 
the king, the two former by Fair Rosamond, the latter by a daughter of Sir 
Ralph Blewett. Hugh Lacy, and Ralph de Glanville, justiciaries of Ireland 
and England. Bertrand de Boru4 



* Pope Adrian was an Englishman, by name Nicholas Breakspear : he was 
choked by a fly in the fifth year of his popedom. — Med. Hist. August. 

t The regular succession and history of Denmark do not properly com- 
mence till the accession of Waldemar I. (called the Great,) who considerably 
enlarged and civilized the country. 

t Though not properly a subject of the English crown, this extraordinary 
man exercised no little influence on the fortunes of Henry. He was lord of 
a small territory lying between the continental possessions of Henry and 
France : he saw that his only hope of retaining independence rested on the 
continued hostility of these great powers, and used all his efforts to keep them 



68 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER IX. 
RICHARD I. 

Born 1157. Died April 6th, 1199. Began to reign August 13, 1189. Reigned 
9J years. 

1. (A. D. 1190.) Richard, surnamed Cceur de Lion, 
upon his ascending the throne, was still inflamed with the 
desire of going upon the crusade : and at length the king, 
having got a sufficient supply for his undertaking, having 
even sold his superiority over the kingdom of Scotland, 
which had been acquired in the last reign, for a moderate 
sum, he set out for the Holy Land, whither he was impelled 
by repeated messages from the king of France, who was 
ready to embark in the same enterprise. 

2. The first place of rendezvous for the two armies of 
England and France, was the plain of Vevelay, on the 
borders of Burgundy, where, when Richard and Philip 
arrived, they found their armies amounting to a hundred 
thousand fighting men. Here the French prince and the 
English entered into the most solemn engagements of mu- 
tual support, and determined to conduct the armies to the 
Holy Land by sea : they were obliged, however, by stress 
of weather, to take shelter at Messina*, the capital of Sicily, 
where they were detained during the whole winter. 3. 
Richard took up his quarters in the suburbs, and possessed 
himself of a small fort, which commanded the harbour. 
Philip quartered his troops in the town, and lived upon good 
terms with the Sicilian king 

constantly at war. Being both a politician and a poet, he exaggerated the 
causes of quarrel which constantly arise between adjoining states, and in 
bitter satires alternately reproached each government with cowardly sub- 
mission to its rival. It was he that stimulated the sons of Henry to make war 
against their father, and young Henry especially was chiefly urged into the 
field by the satirical verses of Boru. After the death of the young prince, 
Henry besieged Bertrand's castle, and made him prisoner. When brought 
into the monarch's presence, the king sarcastically said to his captive, " I 
think, Bertrand, thy wit has failed thee." " Yes, my lord," replied Bertrand, 
" it failed me on the day that the valiant young king, your son expired : on 
that day I lost sense, wit, and knowledge." Struck at the unexpected men- 
tion of his son's name, the king fainted, and on his recovery granted Bertrand 
a full pardon. — History of the Troubadours. 

* This place suffered much by an earthquake in 1783. It is famous for its 
wines, and is the finest harbour in the Mediterranean. 






RICHARD I. 69 

Many were the mistrusts and the mutual conciliations 
between these two monarchs, which were very probably 
inflamed by the Sicilian king's endeavours. At length, 
however, having settled all controversies, they set sail for 
the Holy Land, where the French arrived long before the 
English. 

4. Upon the arrival of the English army in Palestine, 
however, fortune was seen to declare more openly in favour 
of the common cause. The French and English princes 
seemed to forget their secret jealousies, and to act in concert. 
But shortly after, Philip, from the bad state of his health, 
returned to France, leaving Richard ten thousand of his 
troops, under the command of the duke of Burgundy. 5. 
Richard, now left conductor of the war, went on from vic- 
tory to victory. The Christian adventurers, under his com- 
mand, determined to besiege the renowned city of Ascalon, 
in order to prepare the way for attacking Jerusalem with 
greater advantage. Saladin, the most heroic of the Saracen 
monarchs, was resolved to dispute their march, and placed 
himself upon the road with an army of three hundred thou- 
sand men. This was a day equal to Richard's wishes ; 
this an enemy worthy his highest ambition. 6. The Eng- 
lish crusaders were victorious. Richard, when the wings 
of his army were defeated, led on the main body in person, 
and restored the battle. The Saracens fled in the utmost 
confusion, and no less than forty thousand of their number 
perished in the field of battle.* Ascalon soon surrendered 
after this victory ; other cities of less note followed the ex- 
ample ; Richard was at last able to advance within sight of 
Jerusalem, the object of his long and ardent expectations. 
7. But just at this glorious juncture his ambition was to 
suffer a total overthrow : upon reviewing his forces, and 
considering his abilities to prosecute the siege, he found that 
his army was so wasted with famine, fatigue, and even vic- 
tory, that they were neither able nor willing to second the 

* So prevalent was the courage of the English king, even in the enemy's 
army, and so dreaded was his name, that the Saracens would say to their 
restive horses, " What do you start at ? do you think you see king Richard ?" 
Nor was his zealous industry less remarkable than his courage. To encou- 
rage the soldiers in repairing the ruined walls of Acre, Ceeur de Lion not 
only laboured in person, but appointed hours for other leaders to work at the 
head of their men. All cheerfully obeyed, except the duke of Austria, who 
sent word that his father having been neither bricklayer nor mason, he had 
not learned either business. The English king, hearing this insolent speech 
repeated to his face by the haughty duke, kicked him out of his tent, and 
ordered his banner to be disgraced. Brompton. 



70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

views of their commander. 8. It appeared, therefore, abso- 
lutely necessary to come to an accommodation with Saladin ; 
and a truce for three years was accordingly concluded ; in 
which it was agreed, that the sea-port towns of Palestine 
should remain in the hands of the Christians ; and that all 
of that religion should be permitted to make their pilgrimage 
to Jerusalem in perfect security.* 

9. Richard having thus concluded his expedition with 
more glory than advantage, began to think of returning 
home : but being obliged to return through Germany, in the 
habit of a pilgrim, he was arrested by Leopold, duke of 
Austria, who commanded him to be imprisoned, and loaded 
with shackles, to the disgrace of honour and humanity. The 
emperor soon after required the prisoner to be delivered up 
to him, and stipulated a large sum of money to the duke as 
a reward for his services. 10. Thus, the king of England, 
who had long filled the world with his fame, was basely 
thrown into a dungeon, and loaded with irons, by those who 
expected to reap a sordid advantage from his misfortunes. 
It was a long time before his subjects in England knew 
what was become of their beloved monarch. 11. So little 
intercourse was there between different nations at that time, 
that this discovery is said by some to have been made by a 
poor French minstrel, who, playing upon his harp, near 
the fortress in which Richard was confined, a tune which 
he knew that unhappy monarch was fond of, he was an- 
swered by the king from within, who, with his harp, played 
the same tune, and thus discovered the place of his confine- 
ment. 

12. However, the English at length prevailed upon this 
barbarous monarch, who now saw that he could no longer 
detain his prisoner, to listen to terms of accommodation. A 
ransom was agreed upon, which amounted to a hundred and 
fifty thousand marks, or one hundred thousand pounds of 
our money, upon the payment of which, Richard was once 
more restored to his expecting subjects. 

13. Nothing could exceed the joy of the English upon 
seeing their monarch return, after all his achievements and 
sufferings. 

* There was a magnanimity and generosity in Saladin rarely seen. It is 
recorded, that once during this campaign, Richard was dangerously sick, and 
his disorder requiring fresh fruit, and snow to render it cool, the generous 
Saracen sent both in profusion, and thus saved the life of the only foe he 
dreaded. ( Vila Saladina.) 



RICHARD I. 71 

He made his entry into London in triumph : and such 
was the profusion of wealth shown by the citizens, that the 
German lords who attended him were heard to say, that 
if the emperor had known of their affluence, he would not 
so easily have parted with their king. He soon after ordered 
himself to be crowned anew at Winchester. He convoked 
a general council at Nottingham, at which he confiscated all 
his brother John's possessions, who had basely endeavoured 
to prolong his captivity, and gone over to the king of France 
with that intent. However, he pardoned him soon after, 
with this generous remark: " I wish I could as easily for- 
get my brother's offence as he will my pardon." 

14. Richard's death was occasioned by a singular acci- 
dent. A vassal of the crown had taken possession of a 
treasure, which was found by one of the peasants in dig- 
ging a field in France ; and to secure the remainder, he sent 
part of it to the king. Richard, as superior lord, sensible 
that he had a right to the whole, insisted on its being sent 
to him ; and, upon refusal, attacked the castle of Chalus, 
where he understood this treasure had been deposited. 15. 
On the fourth day of the siege, as he was riding round the 
place to observe where the assault might be given with the 
fairest probability of success, he was aimed at by Bertrand 
de Gourdon, an archer, from the castle, and pierced in the 
shoulder with an arrow. The wound was not in itself dan- 
gerous ; but an unskilful surgeon, endeavouring to disen- 
gage the arrow from the flesh, so rankled the wound, that it 
mortified, and brought on fatal symptoms. 16. Richard, 
when he found his end approaching, made a will, in which 
he bequeathed the kingdom, with all his treasure, to his 
brother John, except a fourth part, which he distributed 
among his servants. He ordered also that the archer who 
had shot him should be brought into his presence, and de- 
manded what injury he had done him, that he should take 
away his life? The prisoner answered with deliberate intre- 
pidity : 17. " You killed, with your own hand, my father 
and my two brothers, and you intended to have hanged me. 
I am now in your power, and my torments may give you 
revenge; but I will endure them with pleasure, since it is 
my consolation that I have rid the world of a tyrant." Rich- 
ard, struck with this answer, ordered the soldier to be pre- 
sented with one hundred shillings, and set at liberty ; but 
Marcade, the general under him, like a true ruffian, ordered 
him to be flayed alive, and then hanged. Richard died in 



72 



HISTORY OF ENCLAND. 



the tenth year of his reign, and the forty-second of his age- 
leaving only one natural son, named Philip, behind him. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. With whom did Richard embark for the crusades ? 

2. Of what number did the armies consist ? 

4. On Philip's return to France, who was left to conduct the war? 

5. Who opposed Richard on his march to besiege Jerusalem ? 

6. Can you repeat the particulars of the battle ? 

8. What circumstance induced Richard to come to an accommodation with 

Saladin? 

9. In returning home, what happened to Richard ? 

11. How was it discovered that Richard was a prisoner ? 

12. By what means did Richard recover his liberty ? 

13. Who endeavoured to prolong Richard's captivity ? and what was his re- 

mark on this occasion ? 
15. Can you relate the singular accident which caused the death of Richard ? 
17. What was the answer of the person who shot the king 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Clement III 1188 

Celestinelll 1191 

Innocent III 1198 

Emperors of the East. 
Isaac II 1186 



A.D. 

Alexis III 1195 

Emperors of the West. 

Frederic 1 1152 

Henry VI 1190 

Philip 1 1197 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of 

A.D. 

France. Philip II. 1180 
Portugal. San. I. 1180 
Denmark. Can. V. 1182 
ScotfawcZ. William 1165 



Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury. Henry Fitzalwyn, first lord mayor of 
London. William Longchamp, bishop of Ely, regent in Richard's absence. 
Robin Hood and Little John, the celebrated outlaws. 



JOHN. 73 

CHAPTER X. 

JOHN. 

Born 1165. Died October 7th, 1216. Began to reign April 6th, 1199. Reigned 
17$ years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1190.) John,* who was readily put in pos- 
session of the English throne, lost no time to second his 
interest on the continent ; and his first care was to recover 
the revolted provinces from young Arthur, his nephew. 
But from the pride and cruelty of his temper, he soon be- 
came hateful to his subjects ; and his putting his nephew, 
who had a right to the crown, to death, with his own hand, 
in prison, served to render him completely hateful. 

2. Hitherto John was rather hateful to his subjects than 
contemptible ; they rather dreaded than despised him. 
But he soon shewed that he might be offended, if not with- 
out resentment, at least with impunity. It was the fate of 
this vicious prince to make those the enemies of himself 
whom he wanted abilities to make the enemies of each 
other. The clergy had for some time acted as a community 
independent of the crown, and had their elections of each 
other generally confirmed by the pope, to whom alone they 
owed subjection. 3. However, the election of archbishops 
had for some time been a continual subject of dispute be- 
tween the suffragan bishops and the Augustine monks, and 
both had precedents to confirm their pretensions. John 
sided with the bishops, and sent two knights of his train, 
who were fit instruments for such a prince, to expel the 
monks from their convent, and to take possession of their 
revenues. 4. The pope was not displeased with these di- 
visions ; and, instead of electing either of the persons ap- 
pointed by the contending parties, he nominated Stephen 
Langton as archbishop of Canterbury. John, however, 
refusing to admit the man of the pope's choosing, the king- 
dom was put under an interdict. This instrument of terror 
in the hands of the see of Rome was calculated to strike 
the senses in the highest degree, and to operate upon the 

* Surnained Sans Terre, or Lackland. 
G 



74 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

superstitious minds of the people. 5. By it a stop was im 
mediately put to divine service, and to the administration 
of all the sacraments but baptism. The church-doors were 
shut; the statues of the saints were laid on the ground; 
the dead were refused Christian burial, and were thrown 
into ditches on the highways, without the usual rites, or 
any funeral solemnity. 

6. No situation could be more deplorable than that of 
John upon this occasion. Furious at his indignities, jealous 
of his subjects and apprehending an enemy in every face, 
it is said that, fearing a conspiracy against his life, he shut 
himself up a whole night in the castle of Nottingham, and 
suffered none to approach his person. But what was his 
consternation when he found that the pope had actually 
given away his kingdom to the monarch of France, and 
that the prince of that country was actually preparing an 
army to take possession of his crown ! 

7. John, who, unsettled and apprehensive, scarcely knew 
where to turn, was still able to make an expiring effort to 
receive the enemy. All hated as he was, the natural en- 
mity between the French and the English, the name of 
king, which he still retained, and some remaining power, 
put him at the head of sixty thousand men — a sufficient 
number indeed, but not to be relied on — and with these 
he advanced to Dover. 8. Europe now regarded the im- 
portant preparations on both sides with impatience ; and 
the decisive blow was soon expected, in which the church 
was to triumph or to be overthrown. But neither Philip 
nor John had ability equal to the pontiff by whom they 
were actuated ; who appeared on this occasion too refined 
a politician for either. He only intended to make use of 
Philip's power to intimidate his refractory son, not to 
destroy him. 9. He intimated, therefore, to John, by his 
legate, that there was but one way to secure himself from 
impending danger ; which was to put himself under the 
pope's protection, who was a merciful father, and still willing 
to receive a repentant sinner to his bosom. John was too 
much intimidated by the manifest danger of his situation 
not to embrace every means offered for his safety. He 
assented to the truth of the legate's remonstrances, and 
took an oath to perform whatever stipulation the pope should 
impose. 10. John having thus sworn to the performance 
of an unknown command, the artful Italian so well managed 
the barons, and so effectually intimidated the king, that he 



JOHN. 75 

persuaded him to take the most extraordinary oath in all the 
records of history, before all the people, kneeling upon 
his knees, and with his hands held up between those of the 
legate. 

11. "I John, by the grace of God, king of England, 
and lord of Ireland, in order to expiate my sins, from my 
own free will, and the advice of my barons, give to the 
church of Rome, to pope Innocent, and his successors, the 
kingdom of England, and all other prerogatives of my 
crown. I will hereafter hold them as the pope's vassal. I 
will be faithful to God, to the church of Rome, to the pope 
my master, and his successors legitimately elected. I pro- 
mise to pay him a tribute of a thousand marks yearly ; to 
wit, seven hundred for the kingdom of England, and three 
hundred for the kingdom of Ireland." — 12. Having thus 
done homage to the legate, and agreed to reinstate Langton 
in the primacy, he received the crown, which he had been 
supposed to have forfeited, while the legate trampled under 
his feet the tribute which John had consented to pay. Thus, 
by this most scandalous concession John once more averted 
the threatened blow. 

In this manner, by repeated acts of cruelty, by expedi- 
tions without effect, and humiliations without reserve, John 
was become the detestation of all mankind. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the conduct of John on succeeding to the throne ? 

2, 3. Of what nature was the disagreement between the king and the 

clergy which produced such serious consequences to the nation ? 

4. Why was the kingdom put under an interdict ? 

5. What were the consequences of it ? 

6. To what distress was John reduced ? 

9. To what humiliating concessions did John submit ? 

11. What oath did the king take ? 

12. What degrading ceremony followed? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A. D. 1215.) The barons had long been forming a 
confederacy against him ; but their union was broken, or 
their aims disappointed, by various and unforseen accidents. 
At length however they assembled a large body of men at 
Stamford, and from thence, elated with their power, they 
marched to Brackley, about fifteen miles from Oxford, the 



?0 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

place where the court then resided. 2. John, hearing of 
their approach, sent the archbishop of Canterbury, the earl 
of Pembroke, and others of the council, to know the parti- 
culars of their request, and what those liberties were which 
they so earnestly importuned him to grant. The barons 
delivered a schedule, containing the chief articles of their 
demands, and of which the former charters of Henry and 
Edward the Confessor formed the ground-work. No sooner 
were those shown to the king, than he burst into a furious 
passion, and asked why the barons did not also demand his 
kingdom ? swearing that he would never comply with such 
exorbitant demanis! But the confederacy was now too 
strong to fear much from the consequences of his I 
ment. 3. They :• ;-.:?-;- Robert Fitzwalter for their general, 
whom they digniried with the title of ,; mareschal of the 
army of God, and of the holy church,*' and proceeded, 
without further ceremony, to make war upon the king. 
They besieged Northampton ; they took Bedford ; they 
were joyfully received in London. They wrote circular 
letters to all the nobility and gentlemen who had not yet 
declared in their favour, and menaced their rnritm with de- 
vastation, in case of refusal or delay. 

4. John, struck with terror, first offered to refer all dif- 
ferences to the pope alone, or eight barons : four to be 
chosen by himself and four by the confederates. This 
the barons scornfully rejected. He then assured them that 
he would submit at discretion ; and that it was his supreme 
pleasure to gTant all their demands : a conference was ac- 
cordingly appointed, and all things adjusted for this most 
important treaty. 

5. The ground where the king's commissioners met the 
baron- - Staines and Windsor,* at a place 
called Runimede, still held in reverence by posterity as the 
spot where the standard of freedom was first erected in 
England. There the barons appeared with a vast number 
of knights and warriors, on the fifteenth day of June, 
while those on the king's part came a day or two after. 
Both sides encamped apart, like open enemies. The de- 

een power and precedent are generally but of 
short continuance. 6. The barons, having arms in their 
hands, would admit but a few abatements ; and the king's 
agents being for the most part in their interests, few debates 

■ Here is the strongest castle in England : it was the general residence of 
his late majesty, and was originally boilt by William the Conqueror. 



JOHN. 



77 




King John compelled to ratify Magna Charta. 

ensued. After some days the king, with a facility that 
was somewhat suspicious, signed and sealed the charter 
required of him; a charter which continues in force to this 
day, and is the famous bulwark of English liberty, which 
now goes by the name of Magna Charta. 7. This famous 
deed either granted or secured freedom to those orders of 
the kingdom that were already possessed of freedom ; 
namely, to the clergy, the barons, and the gentlemen : as 
for the inferior and the greater part of the people, they 
were as yet held as slaves, and it was long before they 
Gould come to a participation of legal protection. 

8. John, however, could not long brook these conces- 
sions that were extorted from his fears : he therefore took 
the first opportunity of denying to be the least governed by 
them. 

9. This produced a second civil war, in which the barons 
were obliged to have recourse to the king of France for 
assistance. Thus England saw nothing but a prospect of 
being every way undone. If John succeeded, a tyrannical 
and implacable monarch was to be their tormentor ; if the 
French king was to prevail, the country was ever after to 
submit to a more powerful monarchy, and was to become a 
province of France. What neither human prudence could 
foresee nor policy suggest was brought about by a happy 
and unexpected aorident. 

o 2 



78 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

10. John had assembled a considerable army, with a 
view to make one great effort for the crown ; and at the 
head of a large body of troops, resolved to penetrate into 
the heart of the kingdom. With these resolutions he de- 
parted from Lynn, which, for its fidelity, he had distin- 
guished with many marks of favour, and directed his route 
towards Lincolnshire. His road lay along the shore, which 
was overflowed at high-water ; but not being apprised of 
this, or being ignorant of the tide of the place, he lost all 
his carriages, treasure, and baggage, by its influx. 11. He 
himself escaped with the greatest difficulty, and arrived at 
the abbey of Swinstead, where his grief for the loss he had 
sustained, and the distracted state of his affairs, threw him 
into a fever, which soon appeared to be fatal. Next day, 
being unable to ride on horseback, he was carried in a litter 
to the castle of Seaford, and from thence removed to New- 
ark, where, after having made his will, he died in the fifty- 
first year of his age, and the eighteenth of his detested reign.* 
12. Seldom has any throne been disgraced by a monarch 
so depraved as John ; before his accession he had rebelled 
against a fond father, and treacherously attempted the life 
of a generous brother : to secure himself on the throne he 
murdered his nephew, prince Arthur, and detained his 
niece, the princess Eleanora, in perpetual imprisonment. 
He repudiated one wife and imprisoned another, and 
violated his faith to both with the most abandoned pro- 
fligacy. He showed his contempt for religion by habitually 
swearing, and wantonly violating the most solemn oaths. 
If he was a bad man, he was a worse king ; he subjected 
himself to the ignominious yoke of Rome; he suffered 
France to take possession of the Norman provinces, almost 
without a struggle; and at home he acted the part of a 
lustful and bloody tyrant, sporting with the honours, the 
fortunes, and the lives of his unhappy subjects. Yet, by 
the blessing of Providence, his tyranny became the source 
of the greatest benefits to posterity, since his intolerable 
oppressions drove the barons into rebellion, and procured 
them the great charter, which was the first foundation of 
British freedom. 

* King John once demanded 10,000 marks from a Jew of Bristol ; and, on 
his refusal, ordered one of his teeth to be drawn every day till he should 
comply. The Jew lost seven teeth, and then paid the sum required of 
him 



HENRY III. 79 

Questions for Examination. 

1. Did the barons assemble an army in opposition to the king? 

2. What were their demands ? and what answer did the king return ? 

3. 4. What consequences followed ? 

5, 6. Can you mention the circumstances which attended the signing of 
Magna Charta ? 

8. What produced a second civil war? 

9. What great effort did John resolve to make ? 

10, 11. What was the accident which befel John, and accelerated his 

death ? 
12. What was the character of John ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 


A.D. 


Kings of 




A.D. 


Alexis V 1204 




A.D. 


Innocent III 1198 


Theodore 1 1205 


France. Philip II.. 


1189 


HonoriuslII 1215 




Portug. Sancho I.. 


1185 




Emperors of the West. 


Adolphus II.. 


1212 


Emperors of the East. 


Philip 1197 


Ben. Waldemarll 


1202 


Alexis III 1195 


OthoIV 1208 


Scotland. William . 


llfift 


Alexis IV 1203 


Frederic II 1211 


Alexander II. 


1214 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury ; he divided our Bible into 
chapters and verses. Robert Fitzwalter, general of the barons' army. 
John de Courcy, earl of Ulster, famous for his strength and prowess. 
Prince Arthur, nephew to the king, by whom he is supposed to have been 
murdered. 



CHAPTER XL 
HENRY III. 



Born 1207. Died Nov. 16th, 1272. Began to reign October 17th, 1216. Reigned 
56 years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1216.) A claim was made upon the death of 
John, in favour of young Henry, the son of the late king, 
who was now but nine years of age. The earl of Pem- 
broke, a nobleman of great worth and valour, who had 



80 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

faithfully adhered to John in all the fluctuations of his for- 
tune, determined to support his declining interests, and had 
him solemnly crowned by the bishops of Winchester, Bath, 
and Gloucester. 

2. The young king was of a character the very opposite 
to his father ; as he grew up to man's estate, he was found 
to be gentle, merciful, and humane ; he appeared easy and 
good-natured to his dependents, but no way formidable to his 
enemies. Without activity or vigour, he was unfit to govern 
in war ; without distrust or suspicion, he was imposed upon 
in times of peace. 

3. As weak princes are never without governing favour- 
ites, he first placed his affections on Hubert de Burgh, and 
he becoming obnoxious to the people, the place was soon 
supplied by Peter De Roches, bishop of Winchester, a 
Poictevin by birth, a man remarkable for his arbitrary con- 
duct, for his courage, and his abilities. Henry, in pursuance 
of this prelate's advice, invited over a great number of Poic- 
tevins, and other foreigners, who having neither principles 
nor fortunes at home,*vere willing to adopt whatever schemes 
their employers should propose. 4. Every office and com- 
mand was bestowed on these unprincipled strangers, whose 
avarice and rapacity were exceeded only by their pride and 
insolence. So unjust a partiality to strangers very naturally 
excited the jealousy of the barons ; and they even ventured 
to assure the king, that, if he did not dismiss all foreigners 
from court, they would drive both him and them out of the 
kingdom ; but their anger was scarcely kept within bounds 
when they saw a new swarm of these intruders come over 
from Gascony, with Isabella, the king's mother, who had 
some time before been married to the count de la Marche. 
5. To these just causes of complaint were added the king's 
unsuccessful expedition to the continent, his total want of 
economy, and his oppressive exactions, which were but the 
result of the former. The kingdom therefore waited with 
gloomy resolution, determined to take vengeance when the 
general discontent arrived at maturity. 

6. This imprudent preference, joined to a thousand other 
illegal evasions of justice, at last impelled Simon Montford, 
earl of Leicester, to attempt an innovation in the government, 
and to wrest the sceptre from the feeble hand that held it. 
This nobleman was the son of the famous general who com- 
manded against the Albigenses, a sect of enthusiasts that 
had been destroyed some time before in the kingdom of Sa- 






HENRY III. 81 

voy. He was married to the king's sister ; and by his power 
and address was possessed of a strong interest in the nation, 
having gained equally the affections of the great and the 
little. 

7. The place where the formidable confederacy which he 
had formed first discovered itself was in the parliament house, 
where the barons appeared in complete armour. The king, 
upon his entry, asked them what was their intention ; to 
which they submissively replied, to make him their sovereign, 
by confirming his power, and to have their grievances re- 
dressed. 8. Henry, who was ready enough to promise 
whatever was demanded, instantly assured them of his inten- 
tion to give all possible satisfaction ; and, for that purpose, 
summoned a parliament at Oxford, to digest a new plan ot 
government, and to elect proper persons who were to be in- 
trusted with the chief authority. This parliament, after- 
wards called the " mad parliament," went expeditiously to 
work upon the business of reformation. 9. Twenty-four 
barons were appointed, with supreme authority, to reform 
the abuses of the state, and Leicester was placed at their 
head: The whole state in their hands underwent a complete 
alteration ; all its former officers were displaced ; and crea- 
tures of the twenty-four barons were put into their room. 
They not only abridged the authority of the king, but the 
efficacy of parliament, giving up to twelve persons all parlia- 
mentary power between each session. Thus these insolent 
nobles, after having trampled upon the crown, threw pros- 
trate the rights of the people, and a vile oligarchy was on 
the point of being established for ever. 

10. The first opposition that was made to these usurpa- 
tions was from a power which but lately began to take a 
place in the constitution. The knights of the shire, who 
for some time had begun to be regularly assembled in a se- 
parate house, now first perceived these grievances, and com- 
plained against them. They represented that their own 
interests and power seemed the only aim of all their decrees ; 
and they even called upon the king's eldest son, prince Ed- 
ward, to interpose his authority, and save the sinking nation. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By whom was the interest of the young king secured ? 

2. YVhat is the character given of him ? 

3. Who were his favourites ? 



82 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

4. By what means did he excite the jealousy of the barons ? 

6. Who attempted an innovation in the government ? 

7. What are the particulars of the conspiracy formed by the barons ? 
9. In whom was the supreme authority vested ? 

10. By whom were these usurpations opposed, and of what did they com- 
plain ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A. D. 1264.) Prince Edward was at this time about 
twenty-two years of age. The hopes which were conceived 
of his abilities and his integrity rendered him an important 
personage in the transactions of the times, and in some mea- 
sure atoned for the father's imbecility. He had, at a very 
early age, given the strongest proofs of courage, of wisdom, 
and of constancy. At first, indeed, when applied to, ap- 
pearing sensible of what his father had suffered by levity 
and breach of promise, he refused some time to listen to the 
people's earnest application ; but, being at last persuaded to 
concur, a parliament was called, in which the king assumed 
his former authority. 

2. This being considered as a breach of the late conven- 
tion, a civil war ensued, in which, in a pitched battle, the 
earl of Leicester became victorious, and the king was taken 
prisoner, but soon after exchanged for prince Edward, who 
was to remain as a hostage to ensure the punctual observance 
of the former agreement. 

With all these advantages, however, Leicester was not so 
entirely secure, but that he still feared the combination of the 
foreign states against him, as well as the internal machina- 
tions of the royal party. In order, therefore, to secure his 
ill-acquired power, he was obliged to have recourse to an aid 
till now entirely unknown in England, namely, that of the 
body of the people. 4. He called a parliament, where, be- 
sides the barons of his own party, and several ecclesiastics, 
who were not immediate tenants of the crown, he ordered 
returns to be made of two knights from every shire ; and also 
deputies from the boroughs, which had been hitherto consi- 
dered as too inconsiderable to have a voice in legislation. 
This is the first confused outline of an English house of 
commons. The people had been gaining some consideration 
since the gradual diminution of the force of the feudal 
system. 

5. This parliament, however, was found not so very com- 



HENRY III. 83 

plying as he expected. Many of the barons, who had hi- 
therto steadfastly adhered to his party, appeared disgusted 
at his immoderate ambition; and. many of the people, who 
found that a change of masters was not a change for happi- 
ness, began to wish for the re-establishment of the royal 
family. 6. In this exigence, Leicester, finding himself unable 
to oppose the concurring wishes of the nation, was resolved 
to make a merit of what he could not prevent ; and he ac- 
cordingly released prince Edward from confinement, and had 
him introduced at Westminster-hall, where his freedom was 
confirmed by the unanimous voice of the barons. But though 
Leicester had all the popularity of restoring the prince, yet 
he was politic enough to keep him still guarded by his emis- 
saries, who watched all his motions, and frustrated all his 
aims. 

7. The prince, therefore, upon hearing that the duke of 
Gloucester was up in arms in his cause, took an opportunity 
to escape from his guards, and put himself at the head of his 
party. A battle soon after ensued ; but the earl's army ha- 
ving been exhausted by famine on the mountains of Wales, 
were but ill able to sustain the impetuosity of young Ed- 
ward's attack, who bore down upon them with incredible 
fury. During this terrible day, Leicester behaved with as- 
tonishing intrepidity ; and kept up the spirit of the action 
from two o'clock in the morning till nine at night. 8. At 
last, his horse being killed under him, he was compelled to 
fight on foot ; and, though he demanded quarter, yet the ad- 
verse party refused it, with a barbarity common enough in 
the times we are describing. The old king, who was placed 
in the front of the battle, was soon wounded in the shoulder ; 
and, not being known by his friends, he was on the point of 
being killed by a soldier ; but crying out, " I am Henry of 
Winchester, the king !" he was saved by a knight of the 
royal army. 9. Prince Edward, hearing the voice of his 
father, instantly ran to the spot where he lay, and had him 
conducted to a place of safety. The body of Leicester being 
found among the dead, was barbarously mangled by one Ro- 
ger Mortimer; and then, with an accumulation of inhuma- 
nity, sent to the wretched widow, as a testimony of the royal 
party's success. 

10. This victory proved decisive ; and the prince, having 
thus restored peace to the kingdom, found his affairs so 
firmly established, that he resolved upon taking the cross, 
which was at that time the highest object of human ambition. 



84 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

In pursuance of this resolution, Edward sailed from Eng- 
land with a large army, and arrived at the camp of Lewis, 
king of France, which lay before Tunis, where he had the 
misfortune to hear of that good monarch's death before his 
arrival. The prince, however, no way discouraged by this 
event, continued his voyage, and arrived at the Holy Land 
in safety. 

11. He was scarcely departed upon this pious expedition, 
when the health of the old king began to decline ; and he 
found not only his own constitution, but also that of the 
state, in such a dangerous situation, that he wrote letters to 
his son, pressing him to return with all dispatch. 12. At 
last, being overcome with the cares of government, and the 
infirmities of age, he ordered himself to be removed, by easy 
journeys, from St. Edmunds to Westminster, and that same 
night expired in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and the 
fifty-seventh of his reign ; the longest to be met with in the 
annals of England, until that of George the Third.* 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What were the circumstances which warranted the hopes conceived by 

prince Henry ? 

2. What was the result of the battle between the king and Leicester ? 

3. 4. By what means did Leicester endeavour to secure his power ? 

5. Did the Parliament comply with his wishes ? 

6. Why did Leicester resolve to release prince Edward ? 

, 8, 9. Can you relate the circumstance which took place in the action be- 
tween prince Edward and Leicester? 

10. What were Edward's determination and conduct after this victory ? 

11. During Edward's absence, what was the situation of the king and the na- 

tion? 

12. At what age did Henry die ? and how long did he reign ? 

* The interest paid in this reign, for money in the East Indies, amounted, 
it is said, to twenty -five, and even sometimes to thirty -six per cent. But in- 
stances occurred in England of fifty per cent, being paid for money. No 
wonder, therefore, that the Jews, who were the only money-lenders, should 
be tempted to stay in the kingdom, notwithstanding the grievous extortions 
that were practised on them. 

Henry granted a charter to the town of Newcastle, in which he gave the 
inhabitants a license to dig coal. 

The houses of ttye city of London were till this period mostly thatched with 
straw , for it appears that an order was issued, that all houses therein should 
be covered with tiles or slate, instead of straw ; more especially such as stood 
in the best streets, which were then but few in comparison with the present ; 
for where Cheapside now stands (which is the heart of the city), was at that 
time a field, the principal part of the city lying more eastward. From Tem- 
ple Bar to the city (then the village) of Westminister, where the Strand now 
stands, was no more than a mere highway or country road, having, however, 
many noblemen's houses and gardens adjoining to it ; which have since given 
names to streets there erected. This, indeed, was the case in several subse- 
quent reigns. 



EDWARD I. 



85 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. a.d. 

Honorius III 1216 

Gregory IX 1227 

Celestine IV 1241 

Innocent IV 1243 

Alexander IV 1254 

Urban IV 1261 

Clement IV 1265 

Gregory X 1271 

Emperors of the East. 

Theodore 1 1204 

John III 1222 

Theodore II 1225 

John IV 1259 



Michael VIII 1259 

Emperor of the West. 
Frederick II 1211 

Kings of France, 

Philip II 1180 

Louis VIII 1223 

St. Louis IX 1226 

Philip III 1270 



Kings of Portugal. 

lAlphonso III 1202 

iSanchoII 1233 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



A.D. 

Alphonsus IV 1247 

Kings of Denmark. 

Waldemar 1202 

Eric VI 1240 

Abel 1 1250 

Christopher 1 1252 

Eric VIII 1259 

King of Sweden. 
Waldemar 1250 

Kings of Scotland. 

Alexander II 1214 

Alexander III 1249 



Richard Magnus, Edmund of Abingdon, Boniface, and Robert Kilvvarby, 
archbishops of Canterbury. Des Roches, bishop of Winchester, and Lord 
Chancellor.* Earl of Pembroke, protector. Montford, earl of Leicester, 
general of the barons. 



CHAPTER XII. 



EDWARD I. 



Born 1236. 



Died July 7th, 1307. Began to reign Nov. 16th, 1272. 
34 years. 



Reigned 



1. (A.D. 1274.) While the unfortunate Henry was thus 
vainly struggling with the ungovernable spirit of his subjects, 
his son and successor, Edward*, was employed in the holy 
wars, where he revived the glory of the English name, and 
made the enemies of Christianity tremble. He was stabbed, 
however, by one of those Mahometan enthusiasts, called 
Assassins, as he was one day sitting in his tent, and was 
cured not without great difficulty. 2. Some say that he 



* In the reigns of the earlier Norman kings the Lord Chancellor was 
usually a clergyman, and was frequently styled the keeper of the king's 
conscience. The Court of Chancery did not exist under the Saxon Dynasty. 

t From the great length and slendemess of his legs, he was surnaraed 
Longshanks. 

H 



86 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

owed his safety to the piety of Eleanora, his wife, who 
sucked the poison from the wound, to save his life at the 
hazard of her own. 

Though the death of the late king happened while the 
successor was so far from home, yet measures had been so 
well taken, that the crown was transferred with the greates* 
tranquillity. 

3. As Edward was now come to an undisputed throne, 
the opposite interests were proportionably feeble. The barons 
were exhausted by long and mutual dissensions ; the clergy 
were divided in their interests, and agreed only in one point, 
to hate the pope, who had for some time drained them with 
impunity ; the people, by some insurrections against the 
convents, appeared to hate the clergy with equal animosity. 
But these disagreeing orders concurred in one point, that of 
esteeming and reverencing the king, who therefore thought 
this the most favourable conjuncture for uniting England 
with Wales. 4. The Welsh had for many ages enjoyed 
their own laws, language, customs and opinions. They 
were the remains of the ancient Britons, who had escaped 
Roman and Saxon invasions, and still preserved their free- 
dom and their country uncontaminated by the admission of 
foreign conquerors. 5. But as they were, from their num- 
ber, incapable of withstanding their more powerful neigh- 
bours on the plain, their chief defence lay in the inaccessible 
mountains, those natural bulwarks of the country. When- 
ever England was distressed by factions at home, or its forces 
called off by wars abroad, the Welsh made it a constant 
practice to pour in their irregular troops, and lay the open 
country waste wherever they came. 6. Nothing could be 
more pernicious to a country than several neighbouring 
independent principalities, under different commanders, and 
pursuing different interests ; the mutual jealousies of such 
were sure to harass the people ; and, whenever victory was 
purchased, it was always at the expense of the general wel- 
fare. 7. Sensible of this, Edward had long wished to reduce 
that incursive people, and had ordered Llewelyn to do ho- 
mage for his territories : which summons the Welsh prince 
refused to obey, unless the king's own son should be deli- 
vered as a hostage for his safe return. The king was not 
displeased at this refusal, as it served to give him a pretext 
for his intended invasion. He therefore levied an army 
against Llewelyn, and marched into his country with certain 
assurance of success. 



EDWARD I. 87 

8. Upon the approach of Edward, the Welsh prince took 
refuge among the inaccessible mountains of Snowdon,* and 
and there resolved to maintain his ground, without trusting 
to the chance of a battle. These were the steep retreats 
that had for many ages defended his ancestors against all the 
attempts of the Roman and Saxon conquerors. But Edward, 
equally vigorous and cautious, having explored every part 
of his way, pierced into the very centre of Llewelyn's ter- 
ritories, and approached the Welsh army in its vast retreats. 
9. Here, after extorting submission from the Welsh prince, 
the king retired. But an idle prophecy, in which it was fore- 
told by Merlin that Llewelyn was to be the restorer of Bru- 
ton's empire in Britain, was an inducement sufficiently 
strong to persuade this prince to revolt once more, and hazard 
a decisive battle against the English. 10. With this view 
he marched into Radnorshire, and, passing the river Wye, 
his troops were surprised and defeated by Edward Mortimer, 
while he himself was absent from his army, upon a confer- 
ence with some of the barons of that country. Upon his 
return, seeing the dreadful situation of his affairs, he ran 
desperately into the midst of the enemy, and quickly found 
that death he so ardently sought for. David, the brother of 
this unfortunate prince, soon after fell in the same cause ; 
and with him expired the independence of the Welsh nation, 
A. D. 1282. 11. It was soon after united to the kingdom 
of England, and made a principality, and given to the eldest 
son of the king. Foreign conquest might add to the glory, 
but this added to the felicity of the kingdom. The Welsh 
are now blended with the conquerors ; and, in the revolution 
of a few ages, all national animosity was entirely forgotten. 

12. Soon after, the death of Margaret, queen of Scotland, 
gave him hopes of adding Scotland also to his dominions. 
The death of this princess produced a most ardent dispute 
about the succession to the Scottish throne, it being claimed 
by no less than twelve competitors. The claims, however, 
of all the other candidates were reduced to three, who were 
the descendants of the earl of Huntingdon by three daugh- 
ters : John Hastings, who claimed in right of his mother, 
as one of the co-heiresses of the crown ; John Baliol, who 
alleged his right, as being descended from the eldest daugh- 
ter, who was his grandmother ; and Robert Bruce, who was 

* From the summit of which may be seen part of Ireland, Scotland, Eng- 
land, and all North Wales. 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Baliol surrendering his crown to Edvrard I. 



the actual son of the second daughter. This dispute being 
referred to Edward's decision, with a strong degree of as- 
surance he claimed the crown for himself, and appointed 
Baliol his deputy. 

13. Baliol being thus placed on the Scottish throne, less a 
king than a vassal, Edward's first step was sufficient to con- 
vince that people of his intentions to stretch the prerogative 
to the utmost. Upon the most frivolous pretence, he sent 
six different summonses for Baliol to appear in London, at 
different times in one year ; so that the poor Scottish king 
soon perceived that he was possessed of the name only, but 
not the authority of a sovereign. Willing, therefore, to 
shake off the yoke of so troublesome a master, Baliol re- 
volted, and procured the pope's absolution from his former 
oath of homage. 

14. But no power the Scots could bring into the field was 
able to withstand the victorious army of Edward. He 
overthrew their forces in many engagements, and thus be- 
coming undisputed master of the kingdom, he took every 
precaution to secure his title, and to abolish those distinc- 
tions which might be apt to keep the nation in its former 
independence. Baliol was carried a prisoner to London, 
and compelled to surrender his crown ; and Edward care- 
fully destroyed all records and monuments of antiquity that 
inspired the Scots with a spirit of national pride. 



EDWARD I. 89 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What disaster befel Edward in the Holy Land ? 

2. To whose care is it said he owed his life? 

3. What was the situation of the kingdom at Edward's accession ? 

4. What was the state of the Welsh at this time ? 

5. What w r as the constant practice of the Welsh towards England ? 

7. What method did Edward pursue to reduce Wales ? 

8. What was its success ? 

9. What induced Llewelyn again to revolt? 

10. What followed this defeat ? 

11. To whom was the principality of Wales given after its union with 

England ? 

12. What happened, at this time, that gave Edward hopes of adding Scotland 

to his dominions ? 
How many competitors claimed the Scottish throne ? and what were the 
names of the three principal ? 

13. What method did Baliol take to shake off the yoke of Edward 
15. What was the result of this struggle for independence ? 



SECTION II. 



1. , (A. D. 1296.) These expeditions, however, terminated 
-ather in glory than advantage ; the expenses which were 
requisite for carrying on the war were not only burdensome 
to the king, but even, in the event, threatened to shake him 
on his throne. In order at first to set the great machine in 
motion, he raised considerable supplies by means of his 
parliaments, and that august body was then first modelled by 
him into the form in which it continues to this day. 2. As 
a great part of the property of the kingdom was, by the in- 
troduction of commerce, and the improvement of agricul- 
ture, transferred from the barons to the lower classes of the 
people, so their consent was now thought necessary for the 
raising any considerable supplies. For this reason he issued 
writs to the sheriffs, enjoining them to send to parliament, 
along with two knights of the shire (as in the former reign), 
two deputies from each borough within their county ; and 
these provided with sufficient power from their constituents 
to grant such demands as they should think reasonable for 
the safety of the state. 3. One of the first efforts, therefore, 
was to oblige the king's council to sign the Magna Charta, 
and to add a clause to secure the nation for ever against all 
impositions and taxes without the consent of parliament. 
This the king's council (for Edward was at that time in 
Flanders) readily agreed to sign ; and the king himself, when 

h2 



90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

it was sent over to him, after some hesitation, thought pro- 
per to do the same. 5. These concessions he again con- 
tinued after his return : and, though it is probable he was 
averse to granting them, yet he was at last brought to give 
a plenary consent to all the articles that were demanded of 
him. Thus, after the contest of an age, the Magna Charta 
was finally established ; nor was it the least circumstance 
in its favour, that its confirmation was procured from one of 
the greatest and boldest princes that ever swayed the Eng- 
lish sceptre. 

5. In the mean time William Wallace*, so celebrated in 
Scottish story, attempted to rescue Scotland from the Eng- 
lish yoke. He was a younger son of a gentleman who lived 
in the western part of the kingdom. He was a man of a 
gigantic stature, incredible strength, and amazing intrepidity ; 
eagerly desirous of independence, and possessed with the 
most disinterested spirit of patriotism. To this man had 
resorted all those who were obnoxious to the English govern- 
ment ; the proud, the bold, the criminal, and the ambitious. 
6. These, bred among dangers and hardships themselves, 
could not forbear admiring in their leader a degree of pa- 
tience under fatigue and famine, which they supposed beyond 
the power of human nature to endure ; he soon, therefore, 
became the principal object of their affection and their esteem. 
His first exploits were confined to petty ravages, and occa- 
sional attacks upon the English ; but he soon overthrew the 
English armies and slew their generals. 

7. Edward, who had been over in Flanders while these 
misfortunes happened in England, hastened back with im- 
patience to restore his authority, and secure his former con- 
quest. He quickly levied the whole force of his dominions, 
and at the head of a hundred thousand men directed his 
course to the north, fully resolved to take vengeance upon 
the Scots for their late defection. 

8. A battle was fought at Falkirk, in which Edward gained 
a complete victory, leaving twelve thousand of the Scots, or 
as some will have it, fifty thousand, dead upon the field, 
while the English had not a hundred slain. A blow so 
dreadful had not as yet entirely crushed the spirit of the 
Scottish nation ; and after a short interval they began to 
breathe from their calamities. 9. Wallace, who had gained 

* He was of an ancient family, and was chosen regent of Scotland during 
the captivity of Baliol. 



EDWARD I. 91 

all their regards by his valour, shewed that he still merited 
them more by his declining - the rewards of ambition. Per- 
ceiving how much he was envied by the nobility, and know- 
ing how prejudicial that envy would prove to the interests 
of his country, he resigned the regency of the kingdom, 
and humbled himself to a private station. 10. He proposed 
Cummin as the most proper person to supply his room ; and 
that nobleman endeavoured to show himself worthy of this 
pre-eminence. He soon began to annoy the enemy ; and, 
not content with a defensive war, made incursions into the 
southern counties of the kingdom, which Edward had im- 
agined wholly subdued. They attacked an army of English 
lying at Roslin, near Edinburgh, and gained a complete 
victory. 

11. But it was not easy for any circumstances of bad 
fortune to repress the enterprising spirit of the king. He 
assembled a great fleet and army ; and entering the frontiers 
of Scotland, appeared with a force which the enemy could 
not think of resisting in the open field. Assured of suc- 
cess, he marched along, and traversed the kingdom from 
one end to the other, ravaging the open country, taking all 
the castles, and receiving the submissions of all the nobles. 
12. There seemed to remain only one obstacle to the final 
destruction of the Scottish monarchy, and that was William 
Wallace, who still continued refractory : and wandering 
with a few forces from mountain to mountain, preserved his 
native independence and usual good fortune. But even their 
feeble hopes from him were soon disappointed ; he was 
betrayed into the king's hands by Sir John Monteith, his 
friend, whom he had made acquainted with the place of his 
concealment, being surprised by him as he lay asleep in the 
neighbourhood of Glasgow. 13. The king, willing to 
strike the Scots with an example of severity, ordered him 
to be conducted in chains to London, where he was hanged, 
drawn and quartered, with the most brutal ferocity. 

Robert Bruce, who had been one of the competitors for 
the crown, but was long kept prisoner in London, at length 
escaping from his guards, resolved to strike for his country'-s 
freedom. 14. Having murdered one of the king's servants, 
he left himself no resource but to confirm by desperate 
valour what he had begun in cruelty, and he soon expelled 
such of the English forces as had fixed themselves in the 
kingdom. Soon after he was solemnly crowned king, by 
the bishop of St. Andrew's, in the abbey of Scone ; and 



92 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

numbers nocked to his standard, resolved to confirm his 
pretensions. 15. Thus, after twice conquering the king- 
dom, and as often pardoning the delinquents ; after having 
spread his victories in every quarter of the country, and 
receiving the most humble submissions ; the old king saw 
that his whole work was to begin afresh, and that nothing 
but the final destruction of the inhabitants could give him 
assurance of tranquillity. But no difficulties could repress 
the ardent spirit of this monarch, who, though now verging 
towards his decline, yet resolved to strike a parting blow, 
and to make the Scots once more tremble at his appearance. 

16. He vowed revenge against the whole nation; and 
averred that nothing but reducing them to the completest 
bondage could satisfy his resentment. He summoned his 
prelates, nobility, and all who held by knight's service, to 
meet him at Carlisle, which was appointed as the general 
rendezvous : and in the mean time he detached a body of 
forces before him to Scotland, under the command of 
Aymer de Valence, who began the threatened infliction by 
a complete victory over Bruce, near Methven, in Perthshire. 

17. Immediately after this dreadful blow, the resentful king 
appeared in person, entering Scotland with his army di- 
vided into two parts, and expecting to find, in the opposi- 
tion of the people, a pretext for punishing them. But this 
brave prince, who was never cruel but from motives of 
policy, could not strike the poor submitting natives, who 
made no resistance. His anger was disappointed in their 
humiliation ; and he was ashamed to extirpate those who 
only opposed patience to his indignation. 18. His death 
put an end to the apprehensions of the Scots, and effectually 
rescued their country from total subjection. He sickened 
and died at Carlisle, of a dysentery : enjoining his son with 
his last breath, to prosecute the enterprise, and never to 
desist till he had finally subdued the kingdom. He ex- 
pired July 7, 1307, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, and 
the thirty-fifth of his reign ; after having added more to the 
solid interests of the kingdom than any of those who went 
before or succeeded him. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What circumstances led to the modelling the parliament into its present 

form? 

2. What was the manner observed in framing the parliament ? 

3. What was one of their first efforts ? 



EDWARD I. 



93 



4. Was the king at first favourable to the measure ? 

5. By whom was an attempt made to rescue Scotland from the English 

yoke ? 

6. Who were the first adherents of Wallace ? 

7. With what number of troops did Edward march towards the north ? 

8. Did any engagement take place between the forces of Edward and 

Wallace ? 
What was the issue of this engagement? 

9. What was the conduct of Wallace afterwards ? 

12. In what manner was Wallace afterwards surprised ? 

13. What was the manner of his death ? 

14. What took place after Bruce's escape from London ? 

15. What was the conduct of the king on this occasion ? 

18. Where did the king die ? and what enterprise did he enjoin his son to 
prosecute ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. a.d. 

Gregory X 1271 

Innocent V 1 27G 

Adrian V 1276 

John XXI 1276 

Nicholas HI 1277 

Martin IV 1281 

HonoriusIV 1285 

Nicholas IV 1288 

CelesthieV 1294 

Boniface VIII 1294 

Benedict IX 1303 

Clement V 1305 

Emperors of the East. 

Michael VIII 1259 



A.D. 

AndronicusII 1283 

Emperors of the West. 

Frederic II* 1212 

Rodolphus 1 1273 

Adolphus of Nassau 1291 
Albert 1298 

Kings of France. 

PhilioIII 1270 

Philip IV 1285 

Kings of Portugal. 

Adolphus III 1247 

Dennis 1275 



Kings of Denmark. 

Eric VII 1259 

Eric VIII 1286 

Kings of Sweden. 

Magnus II 1279 

Birgerll 1299 

Kings of Scotland. 
Alexander III.... 1246 

John Baliol 1293 

Robert Bruce 1306 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

John Peckham, Robert Winchelsea, Walter Reynolds, and John Stratford, 
archbishops of Canterbury. Richard, earl of Cornwall. Rodger Bigod, 
earl of Norfolk. Humphry Bohun, earl of Hereford. John Plantagenet, 
earl of Warwick. Roger Bacon. WicklifFe.t 



* After the death of Frederic 11. there was an interregnum in the Western 
empire until Rodolphus; during which the following princes either reigned, 
or were elected: Conrad I If ; William, earl of Holland ; Richard, earl of 
Cornwall; Edward IV. ; and Alphonso, king of Castile. — Lochman. 

t Wickliffe was the first preacher of the reformed doctrines in England ; 
he was the author of a valuable translation of the New Testament, and of 
several able tracts on the usurpations of the Romish church. 



94 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER XIII. 
EDWARD II. 

Born 1284. Died Sept. 21, 1327. Began to reign July 7, 1307. Reigned 
20 years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1307.) Edward, surnamed Caernarvon, was 
in the twenty-third year of his age when he succeeded his 
father ; of an agreeable figure, of a mild harmless disposi- 
tion, and apparently addicted to few vices. But he soon 
gave symptoms of his unfitness to succeed so great a mo- 
narch as his father ; he was rather fond of the enjoyment 
of his power than of securing it, and lulled by the flattery 
of his courtiers, he thought he had done enough for glory 
when he accepted the crown. 2. Instead, therefore, of 
prosecuting the war against Scotland, according to the in- 
junctions he had received from his dying father, he took 
no steps to check the progress of Bruce; his march into 
that country being rather a procession of pageantry than a 
warlike expedition. 

3. Weak monarchs are ever governed by favourites ; and 
the first Edward placed his affections upon was Piers 
Gavestone, the son of a Gascon knight, who had been em- 
ployed in the service of the late king. The young man 
was adorned with every accomplishment of person and 
mind that was capable of creating affection ; but he was 
utterly destitute of those qualities of heart and understanding 
that serve to procure esteem. He was beautiful, witty, 
brave, and active ; but then he was vicious, effeminate, de- 
bauched, and trifling. These were qualities entirely adapted 
to the taste of the young monarch, and he seemed to think no 
rewards equal to his deserts. 4. Gavestone, on the other 
hand, intoxicated with his power, became haughty and 
overbearing, and treated the English nobility, from whom it 
is probable he received marks of contempt, with scorn and 
derision. A conspiracy, therefore, was soon formed against 
him, at the head of which queen Isabel and the earl of 
Lancaster, a nobleman of great power, were associated. 

5. It was easy to perceive that a combination of the 
nobles, while the queen secretly assisted their designs, 



EDWARD II. 95 

would be too powerful against the efforts of a weak king 
and a vain favourite. The king, timid and wavering, 
banished him (A. D. 1312) at their solicitation, and recalled 
him soon after. This was sufficient to spread an alarm 
over the whole kingdom ; all the great barons flew to arms, 
and the earl of Laucaster put himself at the head of this 
irresistible confederacy. The unhappy Edward, instead 
of attempting to make resistance, sought only for safety : 
ever happy in the company of his favourite, he embarked 
at Teignmouth, and sailed with him to Scarborough, where 
he left Gavestone as in a place of safety, and then went 
back to York himself, either to raise an army to oppose his 
enemies, or by his presence to allay their animosity. 6. In 
the mean time, Gavestone was besieged in Scarborough by 
the earl of Pembroke ; and, had the garrison been sufficiently 
supplied with provisions, the place would have been im- 
pregnable. But Gavestone, sensible of the bad condition 
of the garrison, took the earliest opportunity to offer terms 
of capitulation. He stipulated that he should remain in 
Pembroke's hands as a prisoner for two months ; and that 
endeavours should be used in the mean time for a general 
accommodation. 7. But Pembroke had no intention that 
he should escape so easily : he ordered him to be conducted 
to the castle of Deddington, near Banbury, where, on pre- 
tence of other business, he left him with a feeble guard, of 
which the earl of Warwick having received information, 
attacked the castle in which the unfortunate Gavestone was 
confined, and quickly made himself master of his person. 
The earls of Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel were soon 
apprized of Warwick's success, and informed that their 
common enemy was now in custody in Warwick castle. 
8. Thither, therefore, they hastened with the utmost expe- 
dition, to hold a consultation upon the fate of their prisoner. 
This was of no long continuance ; they unanimously re- 
solved to put him to death, as an enemy to the kingdom, 
and gave him no time to prepare for his execution. They 
instantly had him conveyed to a place called Blacklow-hill, 
where a Welsh executioner, provided for that purpose, 
severed his head from his body. 

9. To add to Edward's misfortunes, he soon after suf- 
fered a most signal defeat from the Scots army under Bruce, 
near Bannockburn ;* and this drove him once more to seek 

* Near Stirling. Edward was so sure of conquest, that he brought with 
him William Baston, a Carmelite, and a famous poet, to celebrate his victory. 



96 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

for relief in some favourite's company. 10. The name of 
his new favourite was Hugh de Spenser, a young man of a 
noble English family, of some merit, and very engaging 
accomplishments. His father was a person of a much 
more estimable character than the son ; he was venerable 
for his years, and respected through life for his wisdom, 
his valour, and his integrity. 11. But these excellent qua- 
lities were all diminished and vilified from the moment he 
and his son began to share the king's favour, who even dis- 
possessed some lords unjustly of their estates, in order to 
accumulate them upon his favourite. This was a pretext 
the king's enemies had been long seeking for : the earls of 
Lancaster and Hereford flew<to arms; sentence was pro- 
cured from parliament of perpetual exile against the two 
Spensers, and a forfeiture of their fortunes and estates. 
12. The king, however, at last rousing from his lethargy, 
took the field in the defence of his beloved Spenser, and at 
the head of thirty thousand men pressed the earl of Lan- 
caster so closely, that he had not time to collect his forces 
together ; and, flying from one place to another, he was at 
last stopped in his way towards Scotland by Sir Andrew 
Harcla, and made prisoner. 13. As he had formerly shown 
little mercy to Gavestone, there was very little extended to 
him upon this occasion. He was condemned by a court- 
martial ; and led, mounted on a lean horse, to an eminence 
near Pomfret, in circumstances of the greatest indignity, 
where he was beheaded by a Londoner. 

14. A rebellion, thus crushed, served only to increase the 
pride and rapacity of young Spenser ; most of the forfeitures 
were seized for his use ; and in his promptitude to seize the 
delinquents, he was guilty of many acts of rapine and injus- 
tice.* 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the disposition of Edward II. ? 

2. What was his conduct in regard to Scotland ? 

3. What was the character of Gavestone, the king's first favourite? 

4. Who formed a conspiracy against the king ? 

5. What was the conduct of the king on this occasion ? 

* In the year 1315, the perpetual rains and cold weather having not only 
destroyed the harvest, but produced a mortality among the cattle, the parlia- 
ment endeavoured to moderate the prices of provisions. The rates establish- 
ed were, of our present money, as follows : for the best ox, not corn fed, 21. 
8s., corn fed, 31. 12s. ; a fat hog, two years old, 10s. ; a fat wether, unshorn, 
5s., shorn, 3s. 6d. ; a fat goose, sevenpence halfpenny ; a fat capon, 6d. ; a fat 
hen, dd.j two chickens, 3d. ; four pigeons, 3d. ; and twenty-four eggs, 3d. 



EDWARD II. 97 

6. Where was Gavestone besieged ? and on what conditions did he sur- 

render himself? 

7, 8. Were these conditions observed s and what was the conduct of the no 

bles towards him ? 
9. What misfortune did Edward experience in Scotland ? 

10. Who were the Spensers ? 

11. On what pretext did the king's enemies fly to arms ? 

12. How did the king act on this emergency ? 

13. What was the manner of executing the earl of Lancaster ? 



SECTION IT. 



1. (A.D. 1325.) But he was now to oppose a more for- 
midable enemy in queen Isabella, a cruel haughty woman, 
who fled over to France, and refused to appear in England 
till Spenser was removed from the royal presence, and ba- 
nished the kingdom. By this reply she gained two very 
considerable advantages : she became popular in England, 
where Spenser was universally disliked ; and she had the 
pleasure of enjoying the company of a young nobleman, 
whose name was Mortimer, upon whom she had lately placed 
her affections, and whom she indulged with all the familiari- 
ties that her criminal passion could confer. 2. The queen's 
court now, therefore, became a sanctuary for all the male- 
contents who were banished their own country, or who chose 
to come over. Accordingly, soon after, accompanied by 
three thousand men-at-arms, she set out from Dort* harbour, 
and landed safely, without opposition, on the coast of Suf- 
folk. She had no sooner appeared than there seemed a ge- 
neral revolt in her favour : and the unfortunate king found 
the spirit of disloyalty was not confined to the capital alone, 
but diffused over the whole kingdom. 3. He had placed 
some dependence upon the garrison which was stationed in 
the castle of Bristol, under the command of the elder Spen- 
ser ; but they mutinied against their governor, and that un- 
fortunate favourite was delivered up, and condemned by the 
tumultuous barons to the most ignominious death. He was 
hanged on a gibbet, in his armour ; his body was cut in 
pieces and thrown to the dogs ; and his head was sent to 
Winchester, where it was set upon a pole, and exposed to 
the populace. 

* Dort, or Dordrecht, is a city of Holland, situated on an island of the 
Meuse. By an irruption of the river Meuse, seventy-two villages and one 
hundred thousand persons were lost. It is said to have been occasioned by 
the malice of a man, who wished to inundate his neighbour's ground, by de- 
stroying the dyke near his houae. 



y» HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

4. Young Spenser, the unhappy son, did not long survive 
his father ; he was taken, with some others who had follow- 
ed the fortunes of the wretched king, in an obscure convent 
in Wales, and the merciless victors resolved to glut their 
revenge in adding insult to cruelty. The queen had not pa- 
tience to wait the formality of a trial, but ordered him imme- 
diately to be led forth before the insulting populace, and 
seemed to take a savage pleasure in feasting her eyes with 
his distresses. 5. The gibbet erected for his execution was 
fifty feet high ; his head was sent to London, where the citi- 
zens received it in brutal triumph, and fixed it on the bridge. 
Several other lords also shared his fate ; all deserving pity in- 
deed, had they not themselves formerly justified the present 
inhumanity by setting a cruel example. 

6. In the mean time, the king, who hoped to find refuge in 
Wales, was quickly discovered, and delivered up to his ad- 
versaries, who expressed their satisfaction in the grossness 
of their treatment. He was conducted to the capital, amidst 
the insults and reproaches of the people, and confined in the 
Tower. A charge was soon after exhibited against him, in 
which no other crimes but his incapacity to govern, his in- 
dolence, his love of pleasure, and his being swayed by evil 
counsellors, were objected against him. His deposition was 
quickly voted by parliament ; he was assigned a pension for 
his support : his son Edward, a youth of fourteen, was fix- 
ed upon to succeed him, and the queen was appointed regent 
during the minority. 7. The deposed monarch but a short 
time survived his misfortunes : he was sent from prison to 
prison, a wretched outcast, and the sport of his inhuman 
keepers. He had been at first consigned to the custody of the 
earl of Lancaster ; but this nobleman showing some marks of 
respect and pity, he was taken out of his hands, and delivered 
over to lords Berkeley, Montravers, and Gournay, who were 
intrusted with the charge of guarding him a month about. 8. 
W T hatever his treatment from lord Berkeley might have been, 
the other two seemed resolved that he should enjoy none of 
the comforts of life while in their custody. They practised 
every kind of indignity upon him, as if their design had 
been to accelerate his death by the bitterness of his suffer- 
ings. (A.D. 1328.) But when his persecutors saw that 
his death might not arrive, even under every cruelty, till a 
revolution had been made in his favour, they resolved to rid 
themselves of their fears by destroying him at once. 9. 
Accordingly his two keepers, Gournay and Montravers, 



EDWARD III. 



99 



came to Berkeley castle, where Edward was then confined, 
and murdered him by a most cruel and torturing process, 
which left no marks of external violence. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What other enemy had Edward now to oppose ? 

2. Was there any revolt in the queen's favour ? and by whom was she ac 

companied ? 

3. What happened to the elder Spenser ? 

5. In what manner was the younger Spenser executed ? 

6. What were the proceedings against the king ? 

7. Did the king long survive his misfortunes ? 

8. Can you relate the indignities practised upon him ? 

9. What was the manner of the king's murder ? and by whom was it com- 

mitted ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Clement V 1305 

John XXII 131G 

Emperors of the East. 

AndronicusII 1283 

Andronicus III 1320 



A.D. 

Lewis IV 1314 

Kings of France. 

Philip IV 1284 

LewisX 1314 

Philip V 1316 

Charles IV 1322 



Kings of Denmark. 

Eric VIII 1286 

Christopher II 1319 

Kings of Sweden. 

Berger II 1290 

Magnus III 1320 

King of Scotland. 
Robert Bruce 1306 



Emperors of the West. Kings of Portugal. 

Albert 1 1298 Dennis 1272 

Henry VIII 1304'Alphonsus IV 1325 

EMINENT PERSONS. 

John Offord, archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Plantagenet, earl of Lan- 
caster. Roger, lord Mortimer ; Piers Gavestone and the two Spensers, fa- 
vourites of the king. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



EDWARD III. 



Born 1312. Died June 21, 1377. Began to reign Sept. 22, 1327. Reigned 
nearly 50 years. 



SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1327.) The parliament by which young Ed- 
ward was raised to the throne, during the life of his father 
appointed twelve persons as his privy counsel, to direct the 
operations of government. Mortimer, the queen's paramour, 



100 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

who might naturally be set down as one of the members, 
artfully excluded himself, under a pretended show of mode- 
ration ; but at the same time he secretly influenced all 
the measures that came under their deliberation. 2. He 
caused the greater part of the royal revenues to be settled 
on the queen-dowager, and he seldom took the trouble to 
consult the ministers of government in any public undertak- 
ing. The king himself was even so besieged by the fa- 
vourite's creatures, that no access could be procured to him, 
and the whole sovereign authority was shared between 
Mortimer and the queen, who took no care to conceal her 
criminal attachment. 

3. At length, however, Edward was resolved to shake oft 
an authority that was odious to the nation, and particularly 
restrictive upon him. But such was the power of the fa- 
vourite, that it required as much precaution to overturn the 
usurper as to establish the throne. The queen and Morti- 
mer had for some time chosen the castle of Nottingham for 
the place of their residence ; it was strictly guarded, the 
gates locked every evening, and the keys carried to the 
queen. 4. It was therefore agreed between the king and 
some of the barons, who secretly entered into his designs, 
to seize upon them in the fortress ; and for that purpose Sir 
William Bland, the governor, was induced to admit them 
by a secret subterraneous passage, which had been formerly 
contrived for an outlet, but was now hidden with rubbish, 
and known only to one or two. It was by this, therefore, 
the noblemen in the king's interest entered in the night ; and 
Mortimer, without having it in his power to make any re- 
sistance, was seized in apartments adjoining those of the 
queen. 5. It was in vain that she endeavoured to protect 
him ; in vain she entreated them to spare her " gentle Mor- 
timer ;" the barons, deaf to her entreaties, denied her that 
pity which she had so often refused to others. Her para- 
mour was condemned by the parliament, which was then 
sitting, without being permitted to make his defence, or even 
examining a witness against him. He was hanged on a 
gibbet, at a place called Elms, about a mile from London, 
where his body was left hanging for two days after. 6. The 
queen, who certainly was the most culpable, was shielded 
by the dignity of her station ; she was only disgraced from 
all share of power, and confined for life in the castle of Ris- 
ings, with a pension of three thousand pounds a year. From 
this confinement she was never after set free ; and though 



EDWARD III. 101 

the king annually paid her a visit of decent ceremony, yet 
she found herself abandoned to universal contempt and de- 
testation ; and continued, for about twenty-five years after, a 
miserable monument of blighted ambition. 

7. In order still more to secure the people's affections, 
Edward made a successful irruption into Scotland, in which, 
in one battle, fought at Halidon hill, about thirty thousand 
of the Scots were slain. Soon after, he turned his arms 
against France, which was at that time particularly unfortu- 
nate. Three sons of Philip the Fair, in full parliament, ac- 
cused their wives of adultery ; and in consequence of this 
accusation, they were condemned and imprisoned for life. 
8. Lewis Hutin, successor to the crown of France, caused 
his wife to be strangled, and her lovers to be flayed alive. 
After his death, as he left only a daughter, his next brother, 
Philip the Tall, assumed the crown in prejudice of the 
daughter, and vindicated his title by the Salic law, which 
laid it down that no female should succeed to the crown. 
Edward, however, urged his pretensions, as being, by his 
mother Isabella, who was daughter to Philip the Fair, and 
sister to the three last kings of France, rightful heir to the 
crown. But first he, in a formal manner, consulted his par- 
liament on the propriety of the undertaking, obtained their 
approbation, received a proper supply of wool, which he 
intended to barter with the Flemings ; and being attended 
with a body of English forces, and several of his nobility, 
he sailed into Flanders, big with his intended conquests. 

9. The first great advantage gained by the English was in 
a naval engagement on the coast of Flanders, in which the 
French lost two hundred and thirty ships, and had thirty 
thousand of their seamen and two of their admirals slain. 

10. The intelligence of Edward's landing, and the devas- 
tation caused by his troops, who dispersed themselves over 
the whole face of the country, soon spread universal conster- 
nation through the French court. Caen was taken and 
plundered by the English without mercy ; the villages and 
towns, even up to Paris, shared the same fate ; and the 
French had no other resource, but by breaking down their 
bridges, to attempt putting a stop to the invader's career. 
11. Philip, then king of France, was not idle in making pre- 
parations to repress the enemy. He had stationed one of 
his generals, Godemar de Faye, with an army on the oppo- 
site side of the river Somme, over which Edward wis to 

12 



102 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

pass ; while he himself, at the head of one hundred thou- 
sand fighting men, advanced to give the English battle. 

12. As both armies had for some time been in sight of 
each other, nothing was so eagerly expected on each side as 
a battle ; and although the forces were extremely dispropor- 
tionate, the English amounting only to thirty thousand, the 
French to a hundred and twenty thousand, yet Edward re- 
solved to indulge the impetuosity of his troops, and to put all 
to the hazard of a battle. He accordingly chose his ground 
with advantage, near the village of Crecy,* and there deter- 
mined to wait with tranquillity the shock of the enemy. He 
drew up his men on a gentle ascent, and divided them into 
three lines. The first was commanded by the young prince 
of Wales ; the second was conducted by the earls of North- 
ampton and Arundel ; and the third, kept as a body of re- 
serve, was headed by the king in person. 

13. On the other side, Philip, impelled by resentment, 
and confident of his numbers, was more solicitous in bring- 
ing the enemy to an engagement than prudent in taking 
measures for its success. He led on his army in three 
bodies opposite to those of the English. The first line con- 
sisted of fifteen thousand Genoese cross-bow men, the second 
body was led by the king of France's brother, and he him- 
self was at the head of the third. 



Questions for Examination, 

2. By whom, and in what manner, were the operations of the government 
conducted ? 

4. What was the conduct of the king at this time ? 

5. What was the fate of Mortimer ? 
What was the queen's punishment ? 

7. In what undertaking did Edward succeed ? 

8. What is the Salic law ? 

9. What was the first advantage gained by the English ? 

10. What did the English in France ? 

11. What preparations did the king of France make to oppose Edward ? 

12. Where did Edward choose his ground ? 

How did he draw up his army ? and who conducted it ? 

13. How did Philip lead on his army ? 

* Here the king of Bohemia was slain, and the motto, " Ich dien" I serve, 
was found under the ostrich feathers which he wore on his helmet. Edward, 
the Black Prince, adopted this motto, and it has ever since continued to be 
the motto of the prince of Wales. At this battle, cannon were first made 
use of. 



FPWARP III. 103 



SECTION II. 

1. (A.D. 1346.) About three in the afternoon, the famous 
battle of Crecy began, by the French king's ordering the 
Genoese archers to charge ; bat they were so fatigued with 
their march, that they cried out for a little rest before they 
should engage. The count Alencon, being informed of their 
petition, rode up, and reviled them as cowards, commanding 
them to begin their onset without delay. Their reluctance 
to begin was still more increased by a heavy shower, which 
fell at that instant, and relaxed their bow-strings ; so that 
the discharge they made produced but very little effect. 2. 
On the other hand, the English archers, who had kept their 
bows in cases, and were favoured by a sudden gleam of sun- 
shine, that rather dazzled the enemy, let fly their arrows so 
thick, and with such good aim, that nothing was to be seen 
among the Genoese but hurry, terror, and dismay. The 
young prince of Wales had presence of mind to take advan- 
tage' of their confusion, and to lead on his line to the charge. 
The French cavalry, however, commanded by the count 
Alencon, wheeling round, sustained the combat, and began 
to hem the English in. 3. The earls of Arundel and North- 
ampton now came to assist the prince, who appeared fore- 
most in the very shock ; and, wherever he appeared, turned 
the fortune of the day. The thickest of the battle was now 
gathered around him, and the valour of a boy filled even 
veterans with astonishment; but their surprise at his courage 
could not give way to their fears for his safety. Being ap- 
prehensive that some mischance might happen to him at the 
end, an officer was despatched to the king, desiring that suc- 
cours might be sent to the prince's relief. 4. Edward, who 
had all this time, with great tranquillity, viewed the engage- 
ment from a windmill, demanded, with seeming deliberation, 
if his son were dead ; but being answered that he still lived, 
and was giving astonishing instances of his valour, " Then 
tell my generals," cried the king, "that he shall have no as- 
sistance from me ; the honour of the day shall be his ; let 
him show himself worthy of the profession of arms, and 
let him be indebted to his own merit alone for victory." 5. 
This speech, being reported to the prince and his attendants, 
inspired them with new courage ; they made a fresh attack 
upon the French cavalry, and count Alencon, their bravest 



104 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




King Edward III. and the burgesses of Calais. 

commander, was slain. This was the beginning of their 
total overthrow ; the French, being- now without a compe- 
tent leader, were thrown into confusion ; the whole army 
took to flight, and were put to the sword by the pursuers 
without mercy, till night stopped the carnage. 6. Never 
was a victory more seasonable, or less bloody to the English, 
than this. Notwithstanding the great slaughter of the enemy, 
the conquerors lost but one squire, three knights, and a few 
of inferior rank. 

But this victory was attended with still more substantial 
advantages ; for Edward, as moderate in conquest as prudent 
in his methods to obtain it, resolved to secure an easy en- 
trance into France for the future. 7. With this view he laid 
siege to Calais, at that time defended by John de Vienne, 
an experienced commander, and supplied with every thing 
necessary for defence. These operations, though slow, 
were at length successful. It was in vain that the governor 
made a noble defence, that he excluded all the useless 
mouths from the city, which Edward generously permitted 
to pass. 8. Edward resolved to reduce it by famine, and 
it was at length taken, after a twelve months' siege, the de- 
fendants having been reduced to the last extremity. He re- 
solved to punish the obstinacy of the townsmen by the death 
of six of the most considerable citizens, who offered them- 
selves, with ropes round their necks, to satiate his indigna- 
tion ; but he spared their lives at the intercession of the queen. 



EDWARD III. 105 

9. While Edward was reaping victories upon the conti- 
nent, the Scots, ever willing to embrace a favourable oppor- 
tunity of rapine and revenge, invaded the frontiers with a 
numerous army, headed by David Bruce, their king. This 
unexpected invasion, at such a juncture, alarmed the English, 
but was not capable of intimidating them. 10. Lionel, 
Edward's son, who was left guardian of England during his 
father's absence, was yet too young to take upon him the 
command of an army ; but the victories on the continent 
seemed to inspire even women with valour. Philippa, Ed- 
ward's queen, took upon her the conduct of the field, and 
prepared to repulse the enemy in person : accordingly, hav- 
ing made lord Percy general under her, she met the Scots at 
a place called Nevil's Cross, near Durham, and offered them 
battle. 11. The Scots king was no less impatient to engage ; 
he imagined that he might obtain an easy victory against 
undisciplined troops, and headed by a woman. But he was 
miserably deceived. His army was quickly routed and 
driven from the field. Fifteen thousand of his men were 
cut to pieces ; and he himself, with many of his nobles and 
knights, were taken prisoners, and carried in triumph to 
London, A.D. 1346. 

12. A victory gained by the Black Prince, near Poictiers, 
followed not long after, in which John, king of France, was 
taken prisoner, and led in triumph through London, amidst 
an amazing concourse of spectators. Two kings, prisoners 
in the same court, and at the same time, were considered as 
glorious achievements ; but all that England gained by them 
was only glory. Whatever was won in France, with all 
the dangers of war, and the expense of preparation, was 
successively, and in a manner, silently lost, without the 
mortification of a defeat. 

13. The English, by their frequent supplies, had been 
quite exhausted, and were unable to continue an army in the 
field. Charles, who had succeeded his father John, who 
died a prisoner in the Savoy, on the other hand, cautiously 
forbore to come to any decisive engagement ; but was con- 
tent to let his enemies waste their strength in attempts to 
plunder a fortified country. When they were tired, he then 
was sure to sally forth, and possess himself of such places 
as they were not strong enough to defend. 14. He first fell 
upon Ponthieu ; the citizens of Abbeville opened their gates 
to him ; those of St. Valois, Rue, and Crotoy imitated the 



106 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

example ; and the -whole country was, in a little time, re- 
duced to total submission. The southern provinces were, in 
the same manner, invaded by his generals with equal suc- 
cess; while the Black Prince, destitute of supplies from 
England, and wasted by a cruel and consumptive disorder, 
was obliged to return to his native country, leaving the affairs 
of the south of France in a most desperate condition. 15. 
But what of all other things served to cast a gloom over the 
latter part of this splendid reign was the approaching death 
of the Black Prince, whose constitution showed but too 
manifestly the symptoms of a speedy dissolution. This 
valiant and accomplished prince died in the forty-sixth year 
of his age, leaving behind him a character without a single 
blemish ; and a degree of sorrow among the people that time 
could scarcely alleviate. 

16. The king was most sensibly affected with the loss of 
his son, and tried every art to allay his uneasiness. He 
removed himself entirely from the duties and burdens of the 
state, and left his kingdom to be plundered by a setof rapa- 
cious ministers. He did not survive the consequences of 
his bad conduct, but died about a year after the prince, at 
Sheene, in Surrey, deserted by all his courtiers, even by 
those who had grown rich by his bounty. He expired 
in the sixty-fifth year of bis age, and fifty-first of his 
reign, 1377 ; a prince more admired than beloved by his 
subjects, and more an object of their applause than their 
sorrow. 

17. It was in this reign that the order of the Garter was 
instituted ; the number was to consist of twenty-four per- 
sons besides the king. A story prevails, but unsupported 
by any ancient authority, that the countess of Salisbury, at 
a ball, happening to drop her garter, the king took it up, 
and presented it to her with these words, " Honi soi qui 
mal y pense ;" — " Evil be to him that evil thinks." This 
accident, it is said, gave rise to the order and the motto,* 
A. D. 1349. 

Edward left many children by his queen, Philippa of 
Hainhault. His eldest son, the Black Prince, died before 

* " Some do affirme, that this order beganne fyrst by king Richard Coeur de 
Lion, at the siege of the citie of Acres, where in his greate necessytie there 
was but twenty-five knights that firmlye and surelye abode by him, where he 
caused all of them to wear thonges of blue leythere aboute their legges, and 
afterwards they were called knights."— RastelVs Chronicle. 



EDWARD III. 



107 



him ; but he left a son named Richard, who succeeded to the 
throne.* 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Describe the situation and conduct of the Genoese archers. 

2. What circumstances operated in favour of the English archers ? 
What advantage did the prince of Wales take of it? 

3. What astonishing bravery did the prince display ? 

4. What answer did the king make, when he was requested to send relief 

to the prince ? 
6. How many did the English lose in the battle? 

8. How long did Edward besiege Calais ? 

9. What did the Scots in the mean time ? 

10. What female prepared to repulse the enemy ? 

11. What was the fate of the Scotch ? 

12. What did England gain by its royal prisoners ? 

14. What obliged the Black Prince to return to England ? 

15. What character is given of the prince ? 

17. When was the order of the Garter instituted ? 

What accident is said to have given rise to the institution of this order ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

John XII 1316 

Benedict XI 1334 

Clement VI 1342 

Innocent VI 1352 

Urban V 1362 

Gregory XI 1370 

Emperors of the East. 
Andronicus III . . . . 1320 

John V 1341 

John VI 1355 

Emperors of the West. 
Louis IV 1314 



A.D. 

Charles IV 1347 

Kings of France. 

Charles IV 1322 

Philip VI 1328 

John 1 1353 

Charles V 1364 

Kings of Portugal. 
Alphonsus IV.... 1325 

Pedro 1 1357 

Ferdinand 1 1367 

Kings of Denmark. 
Christopher II.... 1319 



A.D. 

Waldemarlll... 1340 
OlausIII 1375 

Kings of Sweden. 

Magnus III 1320 

Albert 1363 

Kings of Scotland. 

Robert Bruce 1306 

David II 1330 

Edward Baliol... 1332 
David II. (restor.) 1342 
Robert (Stuart) II. 1370 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Thomas Bradwardin, Simon Islip, Simon Langham, William Whittlesey, 
and Simon Sudbury, archbishops of Canterbury. Edward, the Black Prince. 
John Lord Chandos. Latimer, the lord chamberlain, &c. 



*In this reign the statute of high-treason was first enacted. St. Stephen's 
chapel (now the house of commons) was built, and Windsor castle changed 
from a fortress to a palace. 



108 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER XV. 

RICHARD II. 

Born 1367. Deposed Sept. 30, 1399. Died Jan. 10, 1400. Began to reign 
June 21, 1377. Reigned 22$ years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1377.) Richard the Second was but eleven 
years old when he came to the throne of his grandfather, 
and found the people discontented and poor, the nobles 
proud and rebellious. As he was a minor, the government 
was vested in the hands of his three uncles, the dukes of 
Lancaster, York, and Gloucester ; and as the late king had 
left the kingdom involved in many dangerous and expensive 
wars, which demanded large and constant supplies, the 
murmurs of the people increased in proportion. 2. The 
expenses of armaments to face the enemy on every side, 
and a want of economy in the administration, entirely ex- 
hausted the treasury ; and a new tax of three groats on 
every person above fifteen was granted by parliament as a 
supply. The indignation of the people had been for some 
time increasing ; but a tax so unequitable, in which the 
rich paid no more than the poor, kindled the resentment of 
the latter into a flame. 3. It began in Essex, where a 
report was industriously spread that the peasants were to be 
destroyed, their houses burned, and their farms plundered. 
A blacksmith, well known by the name of Wat Tyler, was 
the first that incited them to arms. The tax-gatherers, 
coming to this man's house while he was at work, demanded 
payment for his daughter, which he refused, alleging she 
was under the age mentioned in the act. 4. One of the 
brutal collectors insisted on her being a full-grown woman, 
and behaved in the most indecent manner. This provoked 
the father to such a degree, that he instantly struck him 
dead with a blow of his hammer. The standers-by ap- 
plauded his spirit, and one and all resolved to defend his con- 
duct. He was considered as a champion in the cause, and 
appointed the leader and spokesman of the people. 5. It 
is easy to imagine the disorders committed by this tumultuous 
rabble; the whole neighbourhood rose in arms: they burned 



RICHARD II. 109 

and plundered wherever they came, and revenged upon their 
former masters all those insults which they had long sus- 
tained with impunity. As the discontent was general, the 
insurgents increased in proportion as they approached the 
capital. The flame soon propagated itself into Kent, Here- 
fordshire, Surrey, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Lincoln. 
6. They were found to amount to above a hundred thousand 
men by the time they arrived at Blackheath. At the head 
of one party of these was Wat Tyler, who led his men 
into Smithiield, where he was met by the king, who invited 
him to a conference, under a pretence of hearing and re- 
dressing his grievances. Tyler, ordering his companions 
to retire till he should give them a signal, boldly ventured 
to meet the king in the midst of his retinue, and accordingly 
began the conference. 7. The demands of this demagogue 
are censured by all the historians of the time as insolent 
and extravagant ; and yet nothing can be more just than 
those they have delivered for him. He required that all 
slaves should be set free, and all commonages should be 
open to the poor as well as the rich ; and that a general 
pardon should be passed for the late outrages. 8. Whilst 
he made these demands, he now and then lifted up his 
sword in a menacing manner ; which insolence so raised the 
indignation of William Walworth, then mayor of London, 
attending on the king, that without considering the danger 
to which he exposed his majesty, he stunned Tyler with a 
blow of his mace, while one of the king's knights, riding 
up, despatched him with his sword. 9. The mutineers, 
seeing their leader fall, prepared themselves to take revenge ; 
and their bows were now bent for execution, when Richard, 
though not yet quite sixteen years of age, rode up to the rebels, 
and with admirable presence of mind, cried out, " What, 
my people, will you then kfll your king ? Be not concerned 
for the loss of your leader; I myself will now be your 
general ; follow me now into the field, and you shall have 
whatever you desire." The awed multitude immediately 
desisted : they followed the king, as if mechanically, into 
the field, and there he granted. them the same charter that 
he had before given to their companions, but which he soon 
afterwards revoked in parliament.* 

* Govver, the poet, wrote some Latin verses on this rebellion, part of which 
are here inserted, as a specimen of the literature of this reign ; nor will they 
be less acceptable, we trust, from the ludicrous effect produced by putting 
English nick-names into a Latin dress : 

K 



110 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

10. Hitherto the king had acted under the control of the 
regency, who did all they could devise to abridge his power. 
However, in an extraordinary council of the nobility, as- 
sembled after Easter, he, to the astonishment of all present, 
desired to know his age ; and being told that he was turned 
of two-and-twenty, he alleged that it was time then for him 
to govern without help ; and that there was no reason that 
he should be deprived of those rights which the meanest of 
his subjects enjoyed. 

11. Being thus set at liberty to conduct the business of 
government at discretion, it quickly appeared that he wanted 
those arts that are usually found to procure a lasting respect; 
he was fond of luxurious pleasures and idle ostentation ; he 
admitted the meanest ranks to his familiarity ; and his con- 
versation was not adapted to impress them with a reverence 
for his morals or abilities. 12. The cruelty shown to the 
duke of Gloucester, who, upon slight suspicions, was sent 
to confinement in Calais, and there murdered in prison, 
with some other acts equally arbitrary, did not fail to in- 
crease those animosities which had already taken deep root 
in the kingdom. The aggrandizement of some new favour- 
ites contributed still more to make the king odious ; but 
though he seemed resolved, by all his actions, to set his 
subjects against him, it was accident that gave occasion for 
his overthrow. 13. The duke of Hereford appeared in 
parliament, and accused the duke of Norfolk of having 
spoken seditious words against his majesty in a private con- 
versation. Norfolk denied the charge, gave Hereford the 
lie, and offered to prove his innocence by single combat. 



Watte vocat cui Thoma venit, neque Symme retardat, 

Batque, Gibbe simul, Hykke venire subent. 
Colle furit quem Bobbe juvat, nocumenta parantes, 

Cum quibus ad damnum Wille coire volat. 
Grigge rapit, dum Davie strepit, comes est quibus Hobbe, 

Larkin et in medio non minor esse putat. 
Hudde ferit, quem Judde terit, dum Tibbe juvatur, 

Jacke domosque viros vellit, et ense necat," &c. 

Which are thus humorously translated by Andrews. 

Wat cries, Tom flies, nor Symkin stays aside ; 

And Batt and Gibb, and Hyke, they summon loud, 
Collin and Hob combustibles provide, 

While Will the mischief forwards in the crowd ; 
Greg ha wis, Bob bawls, and Davy joins the cry, 

With Lary, not the least among the throng ; 
Hodge drubs, Jude scrubs, while Tib stands grinning by, 

And Jack with sword and fire-brand madly strides along.' 



RICHARD II. Ill 

As proofs were wanting for legal trial, the lords readily ac- 
quiesced in that mode of determination ; the time and place 
were appointed, and the whole nation waited with anxious 
suspense for the event. 14. At length the day arrived on 
which the duel was to be fought; and the champions having 
just began their career, the king stopped the combat, and 
ordered both the combatants to leave the kingdom. The 
duke of Norfolk he banished for life, but the duke of Here- 
ford only for ten years. Thus the one was condemned to 
exile without being charged with any offence, and the other 
without being convicted of any crime. The duke of Nor- 
folk was overwhelmed with grief and despondence at the 
judgment awarded against him : he retired to Venice, where, 
in a little time after, he died of a broken heart. 15. Here- 
ford's behaviour on this occasion was resigned and sub- 
missive, which so pleased the king, that he consented to 
shorten the date of his banishment four years ; and he also 
granted him letters patent, ensuring him the enjoyment of 
any inheritance which should fall to him during his absence ; 
but upon the death of his father, the duke of Lancaster, 
which happened shortly after, Richard revoked those letters, 
and retained the possession of the Lancaster estate to him- 
self. A.D. 1388. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. At what age and under what circumstances did Richard come to the 

throne ? 

2. In whose hands was the government vested ? 

3. Who was the first person that excited the people to arms ? 

5, 6. What disorders were committed by the rebels ? and who was their 
leader ? 

7. What conditions were requested from the king by Wat Tyler ? 

8. By whom was Wat Tyler slain ? 

9. What was the conduct of the king on this occasion ? 

10. Did the subsequent conduct of the king serve to make him respected by 
his subjects ? 

13. What gave occasion to his overthrow ? 

14. With what severity did the king treat Norfolk and Hereford ? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A.D. 1398.) Such complicated injuries served to 
inflame the resentment of Hereford against the king ; and 
although he had hitherto concealed it, he now set no bounds 
to his indignation, but even conceived a desire of dethroning 



112 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

a person who had shown himself so unworthy of power. 
Indeed, no man could be better qualified for an enterprise 
of this nature than the earl of Hereford; he was cool, 
cautious, discerning, and resolute. 2. He had served with 
distinction against the infidels of Lithuania; and he had 
thus joined to his other merits those of piety and valour. 
He was stimulated by private injuries, and had alliance and 
fortune sufficient to give weight to his measures. He only 
waited the absence of the king from England to put his 
schemes into execution; and Richard's going over into Ire- 
land, to quell an insurrection there, was the opportunity he 
had long looked for. 

3. Accordingly he instantly embarked at Nantz, with a 
retinue of sixty persons, in three small vessels, and landed 
at Ravenspur, in Yorkshire. The earl of Northumberland, 
who had long been a malecontent, together with Henry Percy, 
his son, who, from his ardent valour, was surnamed Hot- 
spur, immediately joined them with their forces. After this 
junction the concourse of people coming to enlist under 
his banner was so great, that in a few days his army 
amounted to sixty thousand men. 

4. While these things were transacting in England, 
Richard continued in Ireland in perfect security. Contrary 
winds, for three weeks together, prevented his receiving any 
news of the rebellion which had begun in his native do- 
minions ; wherefore, upon landing at Milford Haven with a 
body of twenty thousand men, he saw himself in a dreadful 
situation, in the midst of an enraged people, without any 
friend on whom to rely ; and forsaken by those who, in the 
sunshine of his power, had only contributed to fan his 
follies. 5. His little army gradually began to desert him, 
till at last he found that he had not above six thousand men 
who followed his standard. Thus not knowing whom to 
trust, or where to turn, he saw no other hopes of safety 
but to throw himself upon the generosity of the enemy, 
and to gain from pity what he could not obtain by arms. 
He therefore sent Hereford word that he was ready to sub- 
mit to whatever terms he thought proper to prescribe, and 
that he earnestly desired a conference. 6. For this pur- 
pose the earl appointed him to meet at a castle within about 
ten miles of Chester, where he came next day with his 
army. Richard, who the day before had been brought 
thither by the duke of Northumberland, descrying his 
rival's approach from the walls, went down to receive him ; 



RICHARD II. 113 

while Hereford, after some ceremony, entered the castle in 
complete armour, only his head was bare, in compliment to 
the fallen king. 7. Richard received him with that open 
air for which he had been remarkable, and kindly bade 
him welcome. " My lord king," returned the earl, with a 
cool respectful bow, " I am come sooner than you appointed, 
because your people say, that for one-and-twenty years you 
have governed with rigour and indiscretion. They are 
very ill satisfied with your conduct ; but if it please God, I 
will help you to govern them better for the time to come." 
To this declaration the king made no other answer but 
" Fair cousin, since it pleases you, it pleases us likewise." 
8. But Hereford's haughty answer was not the only 
mortification the unfortunate Richard was to endure. After 
a short conversation with some of the king's attendants, 
Hereford ordered the king's horses to be brought out of the 
stable ; and the wretched animals being produced, Richard 
was placed upon one, and his favourite, the earl of Salis- 
bury, on the other. 9. In this mean equipage they rode to 
Chester; and were conveyed to the castle with a great 
noise of trumpets, and through a vast concourse of people, 
who were no way moved at the sight. In this manner he 
was led triumphantly along from town to town, amidst mul- 
titudes, who scoffed at him, and extolled his rivals. " Long 
live the good duke of Lancaster, our deliverer !" was the 
general cry ; but as for the king, to use the pathetic words 
of the poet, " None cried God bless him !" 10. Thus, 
after repeated indignities, he was confined a close prisoner 
in the Tower, there, if possible, to undergo a still greater 
variety of studied insolence and flagrant contempt. The 
wretched monarch, humbled in this manner, began to lose 
the pride of a king with the splendours of royalty, and his 
spirit sunk to his circumstances. There was no great dif- 
ficulty, therefore, in inducing him to sign a deed, by which 
he renounced his crown, as being unqualified for governing 
the kingdom. 11. Upon this resignation Hereford founded 
his principal claim : but, willing to fortify his pretensions 
with every appearance of justice, he called a parliament, 
which was readily brought to approve and confirm his 
claim. A frivolous charge, of thirty-three articles, was 
drawn up, and found valid against the king ; upon which 
he was solemnly deposed, and the earl of Hereford elected 
in his stead, by the title of Henry the Fourth. 12. Thus 
began the contest between the houses of York and Lancas- 

k2 



114 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Richard II. surrendering his crown. 

ter ; which, for several years after, deluged the kingdom 
with blood ; and yet, in the end, contributed to settle and 
confirm the constitution. 

13. When Richard was deposed, the earl of Northum- 
berland made a motion in the house of peers, demanding 
the advice of parliament with regard to the future treatment 
of the deposed king. To this they replied, that he should 
be imprisoned in some secure place, where his friends and 
partizans should not be able to find him. This was accord- 
ingly put in practice ; but while he still continued alive, the 
usurper could not remain in safety. Indeed, some conspi- 
racies and commotions which followed soon after, induced 
Henry to wish for Richard's death ; in consequence of 
which, one of those assassins that are found in every court, 
ready to commit the most horrid crimes for reward, went 
down to the place of this unfortunate monarch's confinement 
in the castle of Pomfret, and with eight of his followers, 
rushed into his apartments. 14. The king, concluding their 
design was to take away his life, resolved not to fall un- 
revenged, but to sell it as dearly as he could; wherefore, 
wresting a pole-axe from one of the murderers, he soon 
laid four of their number dead at his feet. But he was at 
length overpowered, and struck dead by the blow of a pole- 
axe ; although some assert that he was starved in prison. 
15. Thus died the unfortunate Richard, in the thirty-fourth 



RICHARD II. 



115 



year of his age, and the twenty-third of his reign. Though 
his conduct was blameahle, yet the punishment he suffered 
was greater than his offences ; and in the end his sufferings 
made more converts to his family and cause than ever his 
most meritorious actions could have procured them. He 
left no posterity, either legitimate or otherwise. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By whom was the king opposed ? 

3. By whom was Hereford joined on his arrival in England ? 

4. In what manner did the king conduct himself? 

6. Can you mention the indignities the king afterwards suffered ? 

7. How did Richard receive the earl of Hereford ? and what passed at the 

interview between them ? 

8. 9. To what other mortifications was the king obliged to submit? 

10. What circumstances preceded his resignation of the crown? 

11. By whom was he succeeded ? 

12. What dreadful contest now commenced ? 

13. After Richard was deposed, in what manner was he treated ? 

14. Relate the circumstances which attended the murder of Richard. 

15. Describe his character. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Gregory XI 1370 

Urban VI 1378 

Boniface IX 1389 

Emperors of the East. 

John VI 1355 

Emanuel II 1391 

Emperors of the West. 

Charles IV 1347 

Winceslaus 1378 



Kings of France. 

A.D. 

Charles V 1364 

Charles VI 1380 

Kings of Portugal. 

Ferdinand 1 3G7 

John 1 1385 



King and Queen of 

Denmark. 

OlausIII 1375 



A.D. 

Margaret 1385 

Queen of Sweden. 
Margaret held 
Sweden with 
Denmark 1397 

Kings of Scotland. 

Robert II 1370 

Robert III 1390 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

William Courtney, Thomas Arundel, archbishops of Canterbury. William 
Walworth, lord mayor of London. Roger Mortimer ; earl of March, grand- 
son to Clarence, heir apparent. Henry of Bolingbroke. Vere, duke of 
Ireland. William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester, founder of Winches- 
ter College, and of Merton College, Oxford. 



116 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

HENRY IV. 

Born 1367. Died March 20, 1413. Began to reign October 1, 1399. Reigned 
13 years. 

1. (A.D. 1399.) Henry soon found that the throne of an 
usurper is but a bed of thorns. Such violent animosities 
broke out among 1 the barons in the first session of this par- 
liament, that forty challenges were given and received, and 
forty gauntlets were thrown down as pledges of the sincerity 
of their resentment. But though these commotions were 
seemingly suppressed by his moderation for that time, yet 
one conspiracy broke out after another, and were detected 
in the formation, or actually punished in the field. 

2. That formed against him by the earl of Northumber- 
land was the most formidable. It was in a skirmish between 
the Scots and English that Archibald, earl of Douglas, with 
many of the Scots nobility, were taken prisoners by the earl 
of Northumberland, and carried to Alnwick castle. When 
Henry received intelligence of this victory, he sent the earl 
orders not to ransom his prisoners, as he intended to detain 
them, in order to increase his demands in making peace with 
Scotland. 3. This message was highly resented by the 
earl of Northumberland, who, by the laws of war that pre- 
vailed in that age, had a right to the ransom of all such as 
he had taken in battle. The command was still more irk- 
some, as he considered the king his debtor, both for his se- 
curity and his crown. Accordingly, stung with this supposed 
injury, he resolved to overturn a throne which he had the 
chief hand in establishing. 

4. A scheme was laid, in which the Scots and Welsh 
were to unite their forces, and to assist Northumberland in 
elevating Mortimer, as the true heir to the crown of Eng- 
land. When all things were prepared for the intended in- 
surrection, the earl had the mortification to find himself 
unable to lead on the troops, being seized with a sudden 
illness at Berwick. But the want of his presence was well 
supplied by his son, Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, who 
took the command of the troops, and marched them towards 
Shrewsbury, in order to join his forces with those of Glen- 



HENRY IV. 117 

dower, a Welsh chieftain, who some time before had been 
exchanged from prison, and had now advanced with his 
forces as far as Shropshire. 5. Upon the junction of these 
two armies, they published a manifesto, which aggravated 
their real grievances, and invented more. In the mean time, 
Henry, who had received no intelligence of their designs, 
was at first greatly surprised at the news of this rebellion. 
But fortune seemed to befriend him on this occasion : he had 
a small army in readiness, which he had levied for an in- 
tended war against the Scots, and knowing the importance 
of despatch against such active enemies, he instantly hurried 
down to Shrewsbury, that he might give the rebels battle. 

6. Upon the approach of the two armies, both sides seem- 
ed willing to give a colour to their cause by showing a de- 
sire of reconciliation ; but, when they came to open their 
mutual demands, the treaty was turned into abuse and re- 
crimination. On one side was objected rebellion and ingra- 
titude ; on the other, tyranny and usurpation. 7. The two 
armies were pretty nearly equal, each consisting of about 
twelve thousand men ; the animosity on both sides was in- 
flamed to the highest pitch ; and no prudence nor military 
skill could determine on which side the victory might in- 
cline ; accordingly, a very bloody engagement ensued, in 
which the generals on both sides exerted themselves with 
great bravery. Henry was seen everywhere in the thickest 
of the fight; while his valiant son, who was afterwards the 
renowned conqueror of France, fought by his side ; and, 
though wounded in the face by an arrow, still kept the field, 
and performed astonishing acts of valour. 8. On the other 
side, the daring Hotspur supported that renown which he 
had acquired in so many bloody engagements, and every- 
where sought out the king as a noble object of indignation. 
At last, however, his death from an unknown hand decided 
the victory ; and the fortune of Henry once more prevailed. 
On that bloody day, it is said, that no less than two thousand 
three hundred gentlemen were slain, and about six thousand 
private men, of whom two-thirds were of Hotspur's army. 

9. While this furious transaction was going forward, Nor- 
thumberland, who was lately recovered from his indisposi- 
tion, was advancing with a body of troops to reinforce the 
army of malecontents, and take upon him the command: 
but hearing by the way of his son's and brother's misfortune, 
he dismissed his troops, not daring to keep the field with so 
small a force, before an army superior in number, and flush- 



118 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ed with recent victory. 10. The earl, therefore, for a 
while, attempted to find safety by flight : but at last, being 
pressed by his pursuers, and finding himself totally without 
resource, he chose rather to threw himself upon the king's 
mercy than lead a precarious and indigent life in exile. 
Upon his appearing before Henry at York, he pretended 
that his sole intention in arming was to mediate between 
the two parties ; and this, though but a very weak apology, 
seemed to satisfy the king. Northumberland, therefore, re- 
ceived a pardon ; Henry probably thinking that he Mas suf- 
ficiently punished by the loss of his army and the death of 
his favourite son. 

11. By these means Henry seemed to surmount all his 
troubles ; and the calm which was thus produced was em- 
ployed by him in endeavours to acquire popularity, which 
he had lost by the severities exercised during the preceding 
part of his reign. For that reason, he often permitted the 
house of commons to assume powers which had not been 
usually exercised by their predecessors. A.D. 1407. 12. 
In the sixth year of his reign, when they voted him the 
supplies, they appointed treasurers of their own, to see the 
money disbursed for the purposes intended ; and required 
them to deliver in their accounts to the house. They pro- 
posed thirty very important articles for the government of 
the king's household ; and, on the whole, preserved their 
privileges and freedom more entire during his reign than 
in that of any of his predecessors. 13. But while the king 
thus laboured, not without success, to retrieve the reputation 
he had lost, his son Henry, the prince of Wales, seemed 
equally bent on incurring the public aversion. He became 
notorious for all kinds of debauchery, and ever chose to be 
surrounded by a set of wretches, who took pride in commit- 
ting the most illegal acts, with the prince at their head. 
14. The king was- not a little mortified at this degeneracy 
in his eldest son, who seemed entirely forgetful of his sta- 
tion, although he had already exhibited repeated proofs of 
his valorous conduct and generosity. Such were the ex- 
cesses into which he ran, that one of his dissolute compa- 
nions having been brought to trial before Sir William Gas- 
coigne, chief justice of the king's bench, for some misde- 
meanour, the prince was so exasperated at the issue of the 
trial, that he struck the judge in open court. 15. The ve- 
nerable magistrate, who knew the reverence that was due 
to his station, behaved with a dignity that became his office, 



HENRY IV. 



119 



and immediately ordered the prince to be committed to pri- 
son. When this transaction was reported to the king, who 
was an excellent judge of mankind, he could not help ex- 
claiming in a transport — " Happy is the king that has a 
magistrate endowed with courage to execute the laws upon 
such an offender : still more happy in having a son willing 
to submit to such a chastisement !" This, in fact, is one of 
the first great instances we read in the English history of a 
magistrate doing justice in opposition to power; since, upon 
many former occasions, we find the judges only ministers of 
royal caprice. 

16. Henry, whose health had for some time been declin- 
ing, did not long outlive this transaction. He was subject 
to fits, which bereaved him for the time of his senses ; and 
which at last brought on his death at Westminster, in the 
forty-sixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. In what situation did Henry find himself on ascending the throne ? 
Who was the most formidable opponent of Henry? 
For what purpose were the Scots and Welsh to unite their forces? 
Relate the valorous conduct of the king and prince. 
What was the fate of Hotspur ? 
What became of the earl of Northumberland ? 

What at this time were the powers assumed by the house of commons ? 
13. What was the conduct of the prince of Wales ? 

15. For what offence did the chief justice imprison him ? 

What did the prince exclaim when he heard the of prince's committal ? 

16. What caused the death of the king ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Boniface IX 1389 

Innocent VI 1 1404 

Gregory XII 1406 

Alexander V 1409 

John XXIII 1410 

Emperor of the East. 
Emanuel II 1391 



Emperors of the West. 

A.D. 

Winceslaus 1378 

Robert Le Pet 1400 

Sigismund 1410 

King of France. 
Charles VI 1380 

King of Portugal. 
John 1 1385 



King and Queen of 
Denmark and Sweden. 

A.D. 

Margaret 1385 

Eric XIII 1411 

King of Scotland. 
Robert III 1390 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury. Edward Mortimer. Henry 
Percy, surnamed Hotspur. Chief Justice Gascoigne. Sir Robert Knowles. 
Sir Richard Whittington, lord mayor of London. John Gower, and Geoffrey 
Chaucer. 



120 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

HENRY V. 

Born 1388. Died Aug. 31, 1422. Began to reign March 20, 1413. 

Reigned 9£ years. 

1. (A. D. 1413.) The first steps taken by the young king 
confirmed all those prepossessions entertained in his favour. 
He called together his former abandoned companions : ac- 
quainted them with his intended reformation ; exhorted 
them to follow his example ; and thus dismissed them 
from his presence, allowing them a competency to subsist 
upon till he saw them worthy of further promotion. 2. 
The faithful ministers of his father at first began to tremble 
for their former justice in the administration of their duty ; 
but he soon eased them of their fears by taking them into 
his friendship and confidence. Sir William Gascoigne, who 
thought himself the most obnoxious, met with praise instead 
of reproaches, and was exhorted to persevere in the same 
rigorous and impartial execution of justice. 

3. About this time the heresy of Wickliffe,* or Lol- 
lardism, as it was called, began to spread every day more 
and more, while it received a new lustre from the protec- 
tion and preaching of sir John Oldcastle, baron of Cobham, 
who had been one of the king's domestics, and stood high 
in his favour. The primate, however, indicted this noble- 
man, and, with the assistance of his suffragans, condemned 
him as a heretic to be burnt alive. 4. Cobham, however, 
escaping from the Tower, in which he was confined, the day 
before his execution, privately went up to London to take a 
signal revenge on his enemies. But the king, apprized of 
his intentions, ordered that the city gates should be shut; 
and coming by night with his guards into St. Giles's-fields, 
seized such of the conspirators as appeared, and afterwards 
laid hold of several parties that were hastening to the ap- 



* John Wickliffe, a celebrated English divine, was the father of the re- 
formation of the English church from popery. He first opposed the authority 
of the pope, and being cited to appear before the bishop of London, it caused 
great tumult. His tenets were solemnly condemned in an assembly held at 
Oxford ; he, however, escaped the malice of his enemies, and died peaceably 
at Lutterworth, in 1384. 



HENRY V. 121 

pointed place. 5. Some of these were executed, but the 
greater number pardoned. Cobham himself found means of 
escaping for that time, but he was taken about four years 
after ; and never did the cruelty of man invent, or crimes 
draw down, such torment as he was made to endure. He 
was hung up with a chain by the middle, and thus, at a slow 
fire, burned, or rather roasted, alive. 

. 6. Henry, to turn the minds of the people from such 
hideous scenes, resolved to take advantage of the troubles 
in which France was at that time engaged ; and assembling 
a great fleet and army at Southampton, landed at Harfleur, 
at the head of an army of six thousand men-at-arms, and 
twenty-four thousand foot, mostly archers. But although 
the enemy made but a feeble resistance, yet the climate 
seemed to fight against the English, a contagious dysentery 
carrying off three parts of Henry's army. 7. The English 
monarch, when it was too late, began to repent of his rash 
inroad into a country where disease and a powerful army 
everywhere threatened destruction ; he, therefore, began to 
think of retiring into Calais. 

The enemy, however, resolved to intercept his retreat ; 
and after he had passed the small river of Tertois, at 
Blangi, he was surprised to observe, from the heights, the 
whole French army drawn up in the plains of Agincourt,* 
and so posted, that it was impossible for him to proceed 
on his march without coming to an engagement. 8. No 
situation could be more unfavourable than that in which he 
found himself. His army was wasted with disease : the 
soldiers' spirits worn down with fatigue, destitute of pro- 
visions, and discouraged by their retreat. Their whole 
body amounted to but nine thousand men, and these were 
to sustain the shock of an enemy nearly ten times their 
number, headed by expert generals, and plentifully sup- 
plied with provisions. 9. As the enemy were so much 
superior, he drew up his army on a narrow ground between 
two woods, which guarded each flank ; and he patiently 
expected, in that position, the attack of the enemy. The 
constable of France was at the head of one army, and 
Henry himself, with Edward, duke of York, commanded 
the other. 10. For a time both armies, as if afraid to 
begin, kept silently gazing at each other, neither willing to 

* Agincourt is a village in the province of Artois, formerly part of the 
French Netherlands. 



122 HISTORY 01' ENGLAND. 

break their ranks by making the onset ; which Henry per- 
ceiving, with a cheerful countenance cried out, " My 
friends, since they will not begin, it is ours to set the 
example ; come on, and the blessed Trinity be our pro- 
tection !" Upon this the whole army set forward with a 
shout, while the French still waited their approach with 
intrepidity. 11. The English archers, who had long been 
famous for their great skill, first let fly a shower of arrows 
three feet long, which did great execution. The French 
cavalry advancing to repel these, two hundred bowmen, 
who lay till then concealed, rising on a sudden, let fly among 
them, and produced such a confusion, that the archers threw 
by their arrows, and rushing in, fell upon them sword in 
hand. The French at first repulsed the assailants, who were 
enfeebled by disease ; but they soon made up the defect by 
their valour; and, resolving to conquer or die, burst in upon 
the enemy with such impetuosity, that the French were 
soon obliged to give way. 

12. They were overthrown in every part of the field ; 
their numbers, being crowded into a very narrow space, 
were incapable of either flying or making any resistance, 
so that they covered the ground with heaps of slain. After 
all appearance of opposition was over, there was heard an 
alarm from behind, which proceeded from a number of 
peasants who had fallen on the English baggage, and were 
putting those who guarded it to the sword. 13. Henry, 
now seeing the enemy on all sides of him, began to enter- 
tain apprehensions from his prisoners, the number of whom 
exceeded even that of his army. He thought it necessary, 
therefore, to issue general orders for putting them to death ; 
but on a discovery of a certainty of his victory, he stopped 
the slaughter, and was still able to save a great number. 
14. This severity tarnished the glory which his victory 
would otherwise have acquired, but all the heroism of that 
age is tinctured with barbarity. In this battle the French 
lost ten thousand men and fourteen thousand prisoners : the 
English only forty men in all.* 

15. France was at that time (A. D. 1417) in a wretched 
situation ; the whole kingdom appeared as one vast theatre 

The duke of York and earl of Suffolk were among the few who fell in 
this battle on the side of the English. Also three valiant Welshmen, 
named Davy Gam, Roger Vaughan, and Walker Lloyd, who had rescued 
the king, and were afterwards knighted by him as they lay bleeding to death. 
— Monstrelet. 



HENRY V. 123 

of crimes, murders, injustice, and devastation. The duke 
of Orleans was assassinated by the duke of Burgundy ; and 
the duke of Burgundy, in his turn, fell by the treachery of 
the dauphin. 

16. A state of imbecility, into which Charles had fallen, 
made him passive in every transaction ; and Henry, at last, 
by conquests and negotiation, caused himself to be elected 
heir to the crown. The principal articles of this treaty 
were, that Henry should espouse the princess Catharine, 
daughter of the king of France ; that king Charles should 
enjoy the title and dignity for life, but that Henry should 
be declared heir to the crown, and should be intrusted 
with the present administration of the government ; that 
France and England should for ever be united under one 
king, but should still retain their respective laws and 
privileges. 

17. Inconsequence of this, while Henry was everywhere 
victorious, he fixed his residence at Paris ; and while Charles 
had but a small court, he was attended with a very magnifi- 
cent one. (A. D. 1421.) On Whit-Sunday, the two kings 
and their two queens, with crowns on their heads, dined to- 
gether in public ; Charles receiving apparent homage, but 
Henry commanding with absolute authority.* 

18. Henry, at that time, when his glory had nearly 
reached its summit, and both crowns were just devolved upon 
him, was seized with a fistula, a disorder which, from the 
unskilfulness of the physicians of the times, soon became 
mortal. He expired with the same intrepidity with which 
he had lived, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the 
tenth of his reign. 



Questions for Examination. 
1. What were the first steps taken by the young king? 
3. What remarkable circumstance did the heresy of Wickliffe produce ? 
5. What was the melancholy fate of sir John Oldcastle, baron of Cobham ? 

* The revenues of the government, and the grants of parliament, were so 
inadequate to Henry's expensive armies and expeditions, that he was forced 
to pawn his crown to his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort, for a large sum ; and cer- 
tain jewels to the lord mayor of London, for ten thousand marks; he was 
also obliged to pledge two gold chased basons, weighing together 281b. 8oz. 
to two canons of St. Paul's, for six hundred marks ; and two golden shells to 
the dean of Lincoln, for one hundred more. The cost of his army was great ; 
each knight received 20s. per diem ; a squire 10s. and each archer 5s. Be- 
sides which, he had a costly band of music, among which were ten clarions, 
which played an hour, night and morning, before his tent. — Bertrand de 
Mokville, $c. 



124 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

6. What caused Henry to assemble an army in France ? 
What was the amount of his army ? 

7. Where did the enemy attempt to intercept his retreat ? 

8. In what condition was the English army ? 

9. Who commanded the respective armies ? 

10. Relate the particulars of the battle of Agincourt 

14. What tarnished the glory of this victory ? 
What was the situation of France ? 

15. What were the principal articles of treaty between England and 

France ? 
18. What was the age of Henry at his death? and how long did he reign? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

a. t>. 

JohnXXIIl 1410 

Martin V 1417 

Emperor of the East. 
Emanuel II 1394 



Emperor of the West. j King of Denmark and 
a. d. I Sweden. 

Sigismund 1410 a. d. 

Eric XIII 1411 

King of France. 
Charles VI 1380 

King of Portugal. 
Johnl 1385 



King of Scotland. 
Robert III 1390 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Henry Chicheley, archbishop of Canterbury. Cardinal Beaufort, bishop of 
Winchester, younger son of John of Gaunt, and preceptor to Henry the Fifth 
and Sixth. Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
HENRY VI. 



Born 1421. Deposed March 5, 1461. Died April 21, 1471. Began to reign August 
31, 1422.' Reigned 38£ years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1422.) The duke of Bedford, one of the most 
accomplished princes of the age, and equally experienced 
both in the cabinet and the field, was appointed by parlia- 
ment protector of England, defender of the church, and 
first counsellor to the king during his minority, as he was 
not yet a year old ; and as France was the great object 
that engrossed all consideration, he attempted to exert the 
efforts of the nation upon the continent with all his vigour. 

2. A new revolution was produced in that kingdom, by 



HENRY VI. 125 

means apparently the most unlikely to be attended witli 
success. In the village of Domreni, near Vaucoleurs, on 
the borders of Lorrain, there lived a country girl, about 
twenty-seven years of age, called Joan of Arc. This girl 
had been a servant at a small inn, and in that humble sta- 
tion had submitted to those hardy employments which fit the 
body for the fatigues of war. She was of an irreproachable 
life, and had hitherto testified none of those enterprising 
qualities which displayed themselves soon after. 3. Her 
mind, however, brooding with melancholy steadfastness upon 
the miserable situation of her country, began to feel several 
impulses, which she was willing to mistake for the inspira- 
tions of Heaven. Convinced of the reality of her own ad- 
monitions, she had recourse to one Baudricourt, governor 
of Vaucoleurs, and informed him of her destination by Hea- 
.ven to free her native country from its fierce invaders. 
Baudricourt treated her at first with some neglect : but her 
importunities at length prevailed ; and willing to make trial 
of her pretensions, he gave her some attendants, who con- 
ducted her to the French court, which at that time resided at 
Chinon. 

4. The French court were probably sensible of the weak- 
ness of her pretensions ; but they were willing to make use 
of every artifice to support their declining fortunes. It was, 
therefore, given out that Joan was actually inspired ; that 
she was able to discover the king among the number of his 
courtiers, although he had laid aside all the distinctions of 
his authority ; that she had told him some secrets which 
were only known to himself; and that she had demanded 
and minutely described a sword in the church of St. Cathe- 
rine de Firebois, which she had never seen. 5. In this manner 
the minds of the vulgar being prepared for her appearance, 
she was armed cap-a-pie, and shown in that martial dress to 
the people. She was then brought before the doctors of the 
university, and they, tinctured with the credulity of the times, 
or willing to second the imposture, declared that she had 
actually received her commission from above. 

5. When the preparations for her mission were completely 
blazoned, their next aim was to send her against the enemy. 
The English were at that time besieging the city of Orleans, 
the last resource of Charles, and every thing promised them 
a speedy surrender. Joan undertook to raise the siege ; and 
to render herself still more remarkable, girded herself with 
the miraculous sword, of which she had before such extra- 

l2 



126 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ordinary notices. Thus equipped, she ordered all the sol- 
diers to confess themselves before they set out; she dis- 
played in her hand a consecrated banner, and assured the 
troops of certain success. 7. Such confidence on her side 
soon raised the spirits of the French army ; and even the 
English, who pretended to despise her efforts, felt them- 
selves secretly influenced with the terrors of her mission ; 
and relaxing in their endeavours, the siege was raised with 
great precipitation. From being attacked, the French now 
in turn became the aggressors. One victory followed an- 
other, and at length the French king was solemnly crowned 
at Rheims, which Joan had promised should come to pass. 

8. A tide of success followed the performance of this so- 
lemnity ; but Joan having thrown herself into the city of 
Compeign, with a body of troops, that was then besieged 
by the duke of Burgundy, she was taken prisoner in a sally 
which she headed against the enemy, the governor shutting 
the gates behind. The duke of Bedford was no sooner 
informed of her being taken, than he purchased her of the 
count Vendome, who had made her prisoner, and ordered 
her to be committed to close confinement. 9. The credulity 
of both nations was at that time so great, that nothing was 
too absurd to gain belief that coincided with their passions. 
As Joan, but a little before, from her successes, was re- 
garded as a saint, she was now, upon her captivity, consi- 
dered as a sorceress, forsaken by the demon who had granted 
her a fallacious and temporary assistance ; and accordingly, 
being tried at Rouen, she was found guilty of heresy and 
witchcraft, and sentenced to be burnt alive, which was exe- 
cuted with the most ignorant malignity. 

10. From this period the English affairs became totally 
irretrievable. The city of Paris returned once more to a 
sense of its duty. Thus ground was continually, though 
slowly, gained by the French ; and in the lapse of a few 
years, Calais alone remained of all the conquests that had 
been made in France ; and this was but a small compensa- 
tion for the blood and treasure which had been lavished in 
that country, and which only served to gratify ambition with 
transient applause.* A.D. 1443. 

* The duke of Bedford died about this time ; and when the dauphin of 
France was advised to demolish the monument of black marble which had 
been erected to his memory, he generously replied, "Let him repose in 
peace, and be thankful that he does repose ; were he to awake, he would 
make the stoutest of us tremble." 



HENRY VI. 127 

1 1 . But the incapacity of Henry began to appear in a 
fuller light ; and a foreign war being now extinguished, the 
people began to prepare for the horrors of intestine strife. 
In this period of calamity a new interest was revived, which 
had lain dormant in the times of prosperity and triumph. 
Richard, duke of York, was descended, by the mother's 
side, from Lionel, one of the sons of Edward the Third ; 
whereas the reigning king was descended from John of 
Gaunt, a younger son of the same monarch : Richard, there- 
fore, stood plainly in succession before Henry ; and he began 
to think the weakness and unpopularity of the present reign 
a favourable moment for ambition. The ensign of Richard 
was a white rose, that of Henry a red : and this gave name 
to the two factions, whose animosity was now about to 
drench the kingdom with slaughter. 

12. Among the number of complaints which the unpopu- 
larity of the government gave rise to, there were some which 
even excited insurrection ; particularly that headed by John 
Cade, which was of the most dangerous nature. This man 
was a native of Ireland, who had been obliged to fly over to 
France for his crimes ; but seeing the people, upon his re- 
turn, prepared for violent measures, he assumed the name 
of Mortimer ; and at the head of twenty thousand Kentish 
men, advanced towards the capital, and encamped at Black- 
heath. The king, being informed of this commotion, sent 
a message to demand the cause of their assembling in arms ; 
and Cade, in the name of the community, answered that 
their only aim was to punish evil ministers, and to procure 
a redress of grievances for the people. 13. But committing 
some abuses, and engaging with the citizens, he was aban- 
doned by most of his followers ; and retreating to Rochester, 
was obliged to fly alone into the woods of Kent, where, a 
price being set upon his head by proclamation, he was dis- 
covered and slain.* 

14. In the mean time the duke of York secretly fomented 
these disturbances, and pretending to espouse the cause of 
the people, still secretly aspired to the crown ; and, though 
he wished nothing so ardently, yet he was for some time 
prevented by his own scruples from seizing it. What his in- 

* The inscription on Cade's standard consisted of the following doggerel, 
sufficiently indicative of the levelling doctrines of him and his rebel compa- 
nions : 

"When Adam dclv'd and Lve span, 
Who was then a gentleman?" 



128 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

trigues failed to bring about, accident produced according to 
his desires. 15. The king falling into a distemper, which 
so far increased his natural imbecility that it even rendered 
him incapable of maintaining the appearance of royalty, 
York was appointed lieutenant and protector of the king- 
dom, with powers to hold and open parliaments at pleasure. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What happened on the death of the king? 

2, 3. Relate the history of Joan of Arc. 

4. By what artifices did the French court support their declining fortunes ? 

6. What enterprise did Joan undertake? 

7. Were the French successful ? 

8. In what manner was Joan of Arc made prisoner? 

9. What was the fate of this extraordinary woman ? 

10. In what state were the English affairs at this time ? 

11. What new interest was now revived against Henry ? and to what conse- 

quences did it lead ? 

12. Mention the particulars of an insurrection which took place, and the 

cause which occasioned it. 

13. What was the fate of the principal conspirators ? 

14. Who secretly fomented these disturbances ? 

15. Who was appointed protector of the kingdom ? and on what occasion ? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A.D. 1452.) Being thus invested with a plenitude of 
power, he continued in the enjoyment of it for some time ; 
but at length the unhappy king recovered from his lethargic 
complaint ; and, as if waking from a dream, perceived with 
surprise that he was stripped of all his authority. Henry was 
married to Margaret of Anjou,* a woman of a masculine 
understanding, who obliged him to take the field, and in a 
manner dragged him to it, where both sides came to an en- 
gagement, in which the Yorkists gained a complete victory.f 
2. The king himself being wounded, and taking shelter in 
a cottage near the field of battle, was taken prisoner, and 
treated by the victor with great respect and tenderness. 

Henry was now merely a prisoner, treated with the splen- 
did forms of royalty ; yet, indolent and sickly, he seemed 

* Daughter of Rene, titular king of Sicily ; an ambitious, enterprising, and 
courageous woman. She supported the rights of her husband with great 
fortitude and activity, till the fatal defeat at Tewkesbury, which put an end 
to all her enterprises. 

t This battle was the first of St. Alban's. 



HENRY VI. 129 

pleased with his situation, and did not regret that power 
which was not to be exercised without fatigue. But Mar- 
garet once more induced him to assert his prerogative. 3. 
The contending parties met at Bloreheath, on the borders of 
Staffordshire, Sept. 23, 1459, and the Yorkists gained some 
advantages ; but Sir Andrew Trollop deserted with all his 
men to the king; and this so intimidated the whole army of 
the Yorkists, that they separated the next day, without strik- 
ing a single blow. Several other engagements followed, 
with various success ; Margaret being at one time victorious, 
at another in exile ; the victory upon Wakefield-green,* in 
which the duke of York was slain, seemed to fix her good 
fortune. 

4. But the earl of Warwick, who now put himself at the 
head of the Yorkists, was one of the most celebrated gene- 
rals of the age, formed for times of trouble, extremely artful, 
and incontestably brave, equally skilful in council and the 
field ; and inspired with a degree of hatred against the queen 
that nothing could suppress. He commanded an army, in 
which he led about the captive king, to give a sanction to 
his attempts. 5. Upon the approach of the Lancastrians, 
he conducted his forces, strengthened by a body of London- 
ers, who were very affectionate to his cause, and gave battle 
to the queen at St. Alban's. In this, however, he was de- 
feated. About two thousand of the Yorkists perished in 
the battle, and the person of the king again fell into the 
hands of his own party, to be treated with apparent respect, 
but real contempt. 

6. In the mean time young Edward, the eldest son of the 
late duke of York, began to repair the losses his party had 
lately sustained, and to give spirit to the Yorkists. This 
prince, in the bloom of youth, remarkable for the beauty of 
his person, his bravery, and popular deportment, advanced 
towards London with the remainder of Warwick's army ; 
and, obliging Margaret to retire, entered the city amidst the 
acclamations of the people. Perceiving his own popularity, 
he supposed that now was the time to lay his claim to the 
crown ; and his friend Warwick, assembling the citizens in 
St. John's Fields, pronounced an harangue, setting forth the 
title of Edward, and inveighing against the tyranny and 
usurpation of the house of Lancaster. A.D. 1461. 7. Both 
sides at length met near Towton, in the county of York, to 

* In the West Riding of Yorkshire. 



130 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

decide the fate of the empire, and never was England de- 
populated by so terrible an engagement. It was a dreadful 
sight to behold a hundred thousand men of the same country- 
engaged against each other ; and all to satisfy the ambition 
of the weakest or the worst of mankind. While the army 
of Edward was advancing to the charge, there happened a 
great fall of snow, which, driving full in the face of the 
enemy, blinded them ; and this advantage, seconded by ar 
impetuous onset, decided the victory in his favour. Edward 
issued orders to give no quarter ; and a bloody slaughter 
ensued, in which near forty thousand of the Lancastrians 
were slain. 

8. The weak and unfortunate Henry, always imprudent, 
and always unsuccessful, was taken prisoner, carried to 
London with great ignominy, and conducted to the Tower. 
Margaret was rather more fortunate : she contrived to escape 
out of the kingdom, and took refuge with her father in Flan- 
ders.* 

9. Edward being now, by means of the earl of Warwick, 
fixed upon the throne, reigned in peace and security, while 
his title was recognised by parliament, and universally sub- 
mitted to by the people. A.D. 1464. He began, therefore, 
to give a loose to his favourite passions, and a spirit of gal- 
lantry, mixed with cruelty, was seen to prevail in his court. 
The very same palace which one day exhibited a spectacle 
of horror, was to be seen the day following with a mask or 
pageant ; and the king would at once gallant a mistress and 
inspect an execution. 10. In order to turn him from these 
pursuits, which were calculated to render him unpopular, 
the earl of Warwick advised him to marry ; and with his 
consent went over to France, to procure Bona of Savoy, as 
queen, and the match was accordingly concluded. But 
whilst the earl was hastening the negotiation in France, the 

* Margaret, flying with her son into a forest, was attacked during the night 
by robbers, who despoiled her of her rings and jewels, and treated her with 
the utmost indignity. The partition of this great booty having raised a vio- 
lent quarrel among them, she took an opportunity of flying with her son into 
the thickest part of the forest, where she wandered till she was overcome 
with hunger and fatigue. While in this wretched condition, she saw a rob- 
ber approaching with his naked sword ; she suddenly embraced the resolution 
of trusting entirely to his faith and generosity, and presenting to him the 
young prince, " Here, my friend," said she, " I commit to your care the safety 
of the king's son." The man, struck with the singularity of the event, and 
recalled to virtue by the flattering confidence reposed in him, vowed, not only 
to abstain from all injury against the princess, but to devote himself entirely 
to her service. By his means she reached the sea-coast, and embarked for 
Flanders. — Be Moleville, $c. 



HENRY VI. 131 

king himself rendered it abortive at home, by marrying 
Elizabeth Grey,* with whom he had fallen in love, and 
whom he had vainly endeavoured to debauch. 11. Having 
thus given Warwick real cause of offence, he was resolved 
to widen the breach by driving him from the council. War- 
wick, whose prudence was equal to his bravery, soon made 
use of both to assist his revenge ; and formed such a com- 
bination against Edward, that he was in his turn obliged to 
fly the kingdom. Thus, once more, the poor, passive king 
Henry was released from prison to be placed upon a danger- 
ous throne. A parliament was called, which confirmed 
Henry's title with great solemnity ; and Warwick was him- 
self received among the people under the title of king- 
maker. 

12. But Edward's party, though repressed, was not de- 
stroyed. Though an exile in Holland, he had many partisans 
at home ; and, after an absence of nine months, being 
seconded by a small body of troops, granted to him by the 
duke of Burgundy, he made a descent at Ravenspur, in 
Yorkshire. Though, at first, he was coolly received by the 
English, yet his army increased upon his march, while his 
moderation and feigned humility still added to the number 
of his partisans. London, at that time ever ready to admit 
the most powerful, opened her gates to him ; and the 
wretched Henry was once more plucked from a throne to be 
sent back to his former mansion. 

13. Nothing now, therefore, remained to Warwick, but 
to cut short an anxious suspense, by hazarding a battle. 
Edward's fortune prevailed. They met at St. Alban's, and 
the Lancastrians were defeated ; while Warwick himself, 
leading a chosen body of troops into the thickest of the 
slaughter, fell, in the midst of his enemies, covered with 
wounds. 

Margaret, receiving the fatal news of the death of the brave 
Warwick, and the total destruction of her party, gave way 
to her grief, for the first time, in a torrent of tears ; and, 
yielding to her unhappy fate, took sanctuary in the abbey 
of Beaulieu, in Hampshire. 

14. She had not been long in this melancholy abode be- 

* Elizabeth Grey was daughter of sir Richard Woodville. The king first 
saw her at court, whither she had repaired to present a petition for the reco- 
very of the confiscated lands of her late husband, sir John Grey, who was 
slain in arms on the side of Henry. She told Edward, when he first addressed 
her on the subject of his love, that though too humble to be his wife, she was 
too high to become his concubine. 



132 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

fore she found some few friends still waiting to assist her 
fallen fortunes. She had now fought battles in almost every 
province in England ; Tewkesbury-park was the last scene 
that terminated her attempts. 15. The duke of Somerset 
headed her army : a man who had shared her dangers, and 
had ever been steady in her cause. When Edward first at- 
tacked him in his intrenchments, he repulsed him with such 
vigour, that the enemy retired with precipitation ; upon 
which the duke, supposing them routed, pursued, and order- 
ed lord Wenlock to support his charge. But unfortunately, 
this lord disobeyed his orders ; and Somerset's forces were 
soon overpowered by numbers. 16. In this dreadful exi- 
gence, the duke finding that all was over, became ungovern- 
able in his rage ; and beholding Wenlock inactive, and 
remaining in the very place where he had first drawn up 
his men, giving way to his fury, with his heavy battle-axe 
in both hands he ran upon the coward, and with one blow 
dashed out his brains. 

17. The queen and the prince were taken prisoners after 
the battle, and brought into the presence of Edward. The 
young prince appeared before the conqueror with undaunted 
majesty ; and being asked, in an insulting manner, how he 
dared to invade England without leave, more mindful of his 
high birth than of his ruined fortunes, he boldly replied, " I 
have entered the dominions of my father, to revenge his in- 
juries, and to redress my own." 18. The barbarous Ed- 
ward, enraged at his intrepidity, struck him on his mouth 
with his gauntlet ; and this served as a signal for further 
brutality : the dukes of Gloucester, Clarence, and others, 
like wild beasts, rushing on the unarmed youth at once, 
stabbed him to the heart with their daggers. To complete 
the tragedy, Henry himself was soon after murdered in cold 
blood. Of all those that were taken, none were suffered to 
survive but Margaret herself. 19. It was perhaps expected 
that she would be ransomed by the king of France ; and in 
this they were not deceived, as that monarch paid the king 
of England fifty thousand crowns for her freedom. This 
extraordinary woman, after having sustained the cause of her 
husband in twelve battles, after having survived her friends, 
fortunes, and children, died a few years after in privacy in 
France, very miserable indeed ; but with few other claims 
to our pity, except her courage and her distresses.* 

* During this and several previous reigns, a most absurd fashion was fol 
lowed by the people. It was customary to wear the beaks or points of their 



HENRY VI. 



133 



Questions for Examination. 

What was the issue of the first battle between the houses of York and 

Lancaster ? 
What was the fortune of Henry ? 
Where did the contending parties next meet ? 
What circumstances gave the advantage to Henry's party ? 
Who was the commander of the Yorkists ? 
What was his success ? 
Who now laid claim to the crown ? 
What were the particulars of the action at Towton ? 
What happened to Margaret and the young prince after the battle ? 
How did Edward conduct himself after his accession ? 
For what reason did Warwick combine against Edward ? 
By what title was Warwick received among the people ? 
What was the fortune of the next battle ? 
What followed this engagement ? 
What was the answer of the young prince to Edward ? 
What was his treatment ? 
What was the fate of Henry ? 
What of Margaret? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Martin V 1417 

Eugenius VI 1431 

Nicholas V 1447 

Calixtus III 1455 

Pius II 1458 

Emperors of the East. 

Emanuel II 1391 

John VII 1429 

Constantine III. 
and last Christian 
emperor. Suc- 
ceeded by his 
conqueror Ma- 
homet II. who 



A.D. 

took Constantino- 
ple by storm, May 
29 1453 

Emperors of the West. 

Sigismund 1410 

Albert II 1438 



Edward 1433 

Alphonsus 1438 

Kings of Denmark and 
Sweden. 

Eric IX 1411 

Christopher III.... 1439 



Frederick III 1440 Christian 1 1448 

Kings of France. Kings of Scotland. 
Charles VIL 1452' Robert III 1390 



Louis XI 1461 

Kings of Portugal. 
John 1 1385 



James 1 1424 

James II 1437 

James III 1460 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

John Stratford and John Kemp, archbishops of Canterbury. De La Pole, 
duke of Suffolk. The Dukes of Bedford, Gloucester, Exeter, and bishop of 
Winchester, regents and guardians to the king. Richard, duke of York. 



shoes so long, that it was necessary to tie them up to their knees with lacea 
or chains, to enable them to walk without stumbling : gentlemen used for 
this purpose chains made of silver, or silver gilt, and others used laces. This 
ridiculous custom was now (A.D. 1467) prohibited, on the forfeiture of twen- 
ty shillings, and the pain of cursing by the clergy. Whatever absurdities in 
dress may have been rendered fashionable in modern times, certainly none 
have exceeded this folly of our ancestors. 



M 



134 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

EDWARD IV. 

Bom 1441. Died April 9th, 1482. Began to reign March 5th, 1461. Reigned 
22 years. 

1. (A.D. 1478.) Edward, being now free from great 
enemies, turned to the punishment of those of lesser note ; 
so that the gibbets were hung with his adversaries, and their 
estates confiscated to his use. 

Whilst he was rendering himself terrible on the one hand, 
he was immersed in abandoned pleasures on the other. 
Nature, it seems, was not unfavourable to him in personal 
charms ; as he was universally allowed to be the most beau- 
tiful man of his time. 2. His courtiers also seemed willing 
to encourage those debaucheries in which they had a share ; 
and the clergy, as they themselves practised every kind of 
lewdness with impunity, were ever ready to lend absolution 
to all his failings. The truth is, enormous vices had been 
of late so common, that adultery was held as a very slight 
offence. Among the number of his mistresses was the wife 
of one Shore, a merchant in the city, a woman of exquisite 
beauty and good sense, but who had not virtue enough to 
resist the temptations of a beautiful man and a monarch. 

Among his other cruelties, that to his brother, the duke 
of Clarence, is the most remarkable. The king, hunting 
one day in the park of Thomas Burdet, a creature of the 
duke's, killed a white buck, which was a great favourite of 
the owner. Burdet, vexed at the loss, broke into a passion, 
and wished the horns of the deer in the belly of the person 
who had advised the king to that insult. For this trifling 
exclamation, Burdet was tried for his life, and publicly ex- 
ecuted at Tyburn. 4. The duke of Clarence, upon the 
death of his friend, vented his grief in renewed reproaches 
against his brother, and exclaimed against the iniquity of the 
sentence. The king, highly offended with this liberty, or 
using that as a pretext against him, had him arraigned be- 
fore the house of peers, and appeared in person as his ac- 
cuser. 5. In those times of confusion, every crime alleged 
by the prevailing party was fatal; the duke was found 



EDWARD V. 



135 



guilty ; and, being granted a choice of the manner in which 
he would die, was privately drowned in a butt of malmsey 
in the Tower: a whimsical choice, and implying that he had 
an extraordinary passion for that liquor. 

6. However, if this monarch's reign was tyrannical, it 
was but short ; while he was employed in making prepara- 
tions for a war with France, he was seized with a distemper, 
of which he expired in the forty-second year of his age, and 
counting from the deposition of the late king, in the twenty- 
third of his reign. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was now the conduct of Edward ? 

2. For what was Burdet tried and executed ? 

4. Relate the cruelty of Edward towards his brother. 

5. What kind of death did the duke of Clarence prefer ? 

6. How long did Edward the Fourth reign? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Pius IT 1458 

Paul II 1464 

SextuslV 1471 

Emperor of Germany. 
Frederic II 1440 

Emperors of the Turks. 
Mahomet II 1453 



A.D. 

Bajazet II 1481 

King of France. 
Louis IX 1461 

Kings of Portugal. 

AlphonsusV 1438 

John II 1481 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of Denmark and 
Sweden. 

A.D. 

Christian 1 1440 

JohnI 1481 

King of Scotland. 
James III 1469 



Thomas Borlieur, archbishop of Canterbury ; Nevil, earl of Warwick, call- 
ed the king-maker; Beaufort, duke of Somerset ; Richard, duke of Glouces- 
ter ; Tiptoft, earl of Worcester ; William Caxton, mercer of London, the first 
printer (practised his art in Westminster Abbey, 1471). Jane Shore. 



CHAPTER XX. 
EDWARD V. 



Born 1470. Died June, 1483. Began to reign April 9, 1483. Reigned 3 months. 

1. (A.D. 1483.) The duke of Gloucester, who had been 
made protector of the realm, upon a pretence of guarding 
the persons of the late king's children from danger, conveyed 
them both to the Tower. 



136 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Having thus secured them, his next step was to spread a 
report of their illegitimacy ; and by pretended obstacles, to 
put off the day appointed for young Edward's coronation. 
His next aim was to despatch Lord Hastings, whom he 
knew to be warmly in the young king's interest. 

2. Having summoned Lord Hastings to a council in the 
Tower, he entered the room knitting his brows, biting his 
lips, and showing, by a frequent change of countenance, the 
signs of some inward perturbation. A silence ensued for 
some time : and the lords of the council looked upon each 
other, not without reason expecting some horrid catas- 
trophe. 3. Laying bare his arm, all shrivelled and decayed, 
he accused Jane Shore and her accomplices of having pro- 
duced this deformity by their sorceries ; upon which Hast- 
ings cried, " If they have committed such a crime, they 
deserve punishment." — " If !" cried the protector, with a loud 
voice ; " dost thou answer me with ifs ? I tell thee they 
have conspired my death ; and that thou, traitor, art an ac- 
complice in the crime." 4. He struck the table twice with 
his hand, and the room was instantly filled with armed men. 
" I arrest thee," continued he, turning to Hastings, " for 
high-treason ;" and at the same time gave him in charge to 
the soldiers. Hastings was obliged to make a short con- 
fession to the next priest that was at hand ; the protector 
crying out, by St. Paul, that he would not dine till he had 
seen his head taken off. He was accordingly hurried out to 
the little green before the Tower chapel, and there beheaded 
on a log of wood that accidentally lay in the way. 

5. Jane Shore, the late king's mistress, was the next that 
felt his indignation. This unfortunate woman was an ene- 
my too humble to excite his jealousy : yet, as he had ac- 
cused her of witchcraft, of which all the world saw she 
was innocent, he thought proper to make her an example 
for those faults of which she was really guilty. 6. She 
had been formerly deluded from her husband, who was a 
goldsmith in Lombard-street, and continued to live with Ed- 
ward, the most guiltless mistress in his abandoned court. 
It was very probable that the people were not displeased at 
seeing one again reduced to her former meanness who had 
for a while been raised above them, and enjoyed the smiles 
of a court. 7. The charge against her was too notorious 
to be denied ; she pleaded guilty, and was accordingly con- 
demned to walk barefooted through the city, and to do pe- 
nance in St. Paul's church in a white sheet, with a wax 



EDWARD V. 137 

taper in her hand, before thousands of spectators. She lived 
above forty years after this sentence, and was reduced to 
the most extreme indigence. 

8. The protector now began to throw off the mask, and 
to deny his pretended regard for the sons of the late king, 
thinking it high time to aspire to the crown more openly. 
He had previously gained over the duke of Buckingham, 
a man of talents and power, by bribes and promises of 
future favour. This nobleman, therefore, used all his arts 
to cajole the populace and citizens at St. Paul's cross ; and, 
construing their silence into consent, his followers cried 
" Long live king Richard !" Soon after, the mayor and 
aldermen waiting upon Richard with an offer of the crown, 
he accepted it with seeming reluctance 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the conduct of the duke of Gloucester towards the young 

princes ? 

2, 3. By what vile arts did he get rid of lord Hastings ? 

5. Who next felt his indignation ? 

6. Who was Jane Shore ? 

7. What punishment did she suffer ? 

8. In what manner did Richard contrive to procure an offer of the crown ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 


Pope. A.D. 
Sextus IV 1471 

Emperor of Germany. 
Frederic III 1440 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Bajazetll 1481 


King of France. 
Charles VIII 1483 

King of Portugal. 
John II 1481 


King of Denmark and 
Sweden. 

A.D. 

John 1481 

King of Scotland. 
James III 1460 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Richard, duke of Gloucester, protector. Edward, earl of Warwick ; Mar- 
garet, countess of Salisbury (children of George, duke of Clarence). Earl 
Grey ; marquis of Dorset ; William, lord Hastings. 



m2 



138 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

RICHARD III. 

Bom 1450. Died Aug. 23, 1485. Began to reign June 27, 1483. Reigned 
2 years. 

1.* (A. D. 1483.) One crime ever draws on another; 
justice will revolt against fraud, and usurpation requires 
security. As soon, therefore, as Richard was seated upon the 
throne, he sent the governor of the Tower orders to put the 
two young princes to death ; but this brave man, whose 
name was Rrackenbury, refused to be made the instrument 
of a tyrant's will ; but submissively answered, that he knew 
not how to imbrue his hands in innocent blood. A fit in- 
strument, however, was not long wanting; sir James Tyrrel 
readily undertook the office, and Brackenbury was ordered 
to resign to him the keys for one night. 2. Tyrrel, choosing 
three associates, Slater, Deighton, and Forest, came in the 
night-time to the door of the chamber where the princes 
were lodged, and, sending in the assassins, he bid them ex- 
ecute their commission, while he himself stayed without. 
They found the young princes in bed, and fallen into a 
sound sleep : after suffocating them with a bolster and pil- 
lows, they showed their naked bodies to Tyrrel, who 
ordered them to be buried at the stairs' foot, deep in the 
ground, under a heap of stones. 

3. But while the usurper thus endeavoured to establish 
his power, he found it threatened in a quarter where he least 
expected an attack. The duke of Buckingham, who had 
been instrumental in placing him on the throne, now took 
disgust, being refused some confiscated lands for which he 
solicited. He therefore levied a body of men in Wales, 
and advanced with hasty marches towards Gloucester, where 
he designed to cross the Severn. 4. Just at that time the 
river was swoln to such a degree, that the country on both 
sides was deluged, and even the tops of some hills were 
covered with water. The inundation continued for ten 
days ; during which Buckingham's army, composed of 

* See the note at the end of the reign of Henry VII. 



RICHARD III. 139 

Welshmen, could neither pass the river nor find subsistence 
on their own side ; they were therefore obliged to disperse, 
and return home, notwithstanding all the duke's efforts to 
prolong their stay. 5. In this helpless situation, the duke, 
after a short deliberation, took refuge at the house of one 
Bannister, who had been his servant, and who had received 
repeated obligations from his family ; but the wicked seldom 
find, as they seldom exert, friendship. Bannister, unable to 
resist the temptation of a large reward that was set upon 
the duke's head, went and betrayed him to the sheriff of 
Shropshire : who, surrounding the house with armed men, 
seized the duke, in the habit of a peasant, and conducted 
him to Salisbury ; where he was instantly tried, condemned, 
and executed, according to the summary method practised 
in those days. 

6. Amidst the perplexity caused by many disagreeable 
occurrences, the king received information that the earl of 
Richmond was making preparations to land in England, and 
assert his claims to the crown. Richard, who knew not in 
what quarter he might expect the invader, had taken post at 
Nottingham, in the centre of the kingdom ; and had given 
commission to several of his creatures to oppose the enemy 
wherever he should land. 

7. Some time after, however, the earl of Richmond, who 
was a descendant from John of Gaunt, by the female line, 
resolved to strike for the crown. He had been obliged to 
quit the kingdom ; but he now, knowing how odious the 
king was, set out from Harfleur, in Normandy, with a 
retinue of about two thousand persons, and after a voyage 
of six days, arrived at Milford-haven, in Wales, where he 
landed without opposition. 

8. Upon news of this descent, Richard, who was pos- 
sessed of courage and military conduct, his only virtues, 
instantly resolved to meet his antagonist and decide their 
mutual pretensions by a battle. Richmond, on the other 
hand, being reinforced by sir Thomas Bouchier, sir Walter 
Hungerford, and others, to the number of about six thou- 
sand, boldly advanced with the same intention ; and in a 
few days both armies drew near Bosworth-field,* where the 
contest that had now for more than forty years filled the 
kingdom with civil commotions, and deluged its plains with 
blood, was determined by the death of Richard, who was 

* In Leicestershire. The battle fought at this place was the last of thir- 
teen between the houses of York and Lancaster. 



140 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



slain in battle : while Richmond was saluted king by the 
title of Henry the Seventh.* 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the first act of Richard ? 

2. In what manner were his orders executed ? 

3. From what quarter and on what occasion was Richard first threatened 

4. What obliged Buckingham's army to disperse ? 

5. What was the fate of the duke of Buckingham ? 

6. With what new opposer did Richard now contend ? 

7. Where did Richmond land ? 

8. By whom was he joined ? 
Where did the armies meet ? 
What was the result of the battle ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

SextusIV 1471 

Innocent VIII 1484 

Emperor of Germavy. 
Frederic II 1440 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Bajazetll 1481 



King of France. 

A.D. 

Charles VIII 1483 



King of Portugal. 
John II 1481 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



King of Denmark and 
Sweden. 

A.D. 

John 1481 

King of Scotland. 
James III 1460 



Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond. Stafford, duke of Buckingham. Vere, 
earl of Oxford. Thomas, lord Stanley. Howard, duke of Norfolk. Francis, 
viscount Lovel. Sir Richard Ratcliffe. Sir William Catesby. 



* Richard's body, after being exposed, was buried in the church of the 
Grey Friars, at Leicester. Henry VII. bestowed a monument on it, which 
was demolished at the dissolution of abbeys under Henry VIII. ; and the 
monarch's stone coffin actually served for a horse-trough, at the White Horse 
Inn ; " Sic transit gloria mundi !" 



HENRY VII. 141 

CHAPTER XXII. 

HENRY VII. 

Born 1456. Died April 22, 1509. Began to reign Aug. 23, 1485. Reigned 
23^ years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1485.) Henry's first care, upon coming 1 to the 
throne, was to marry the princess Elizabeth, daughter of 
Edward the Fourth ; and thus he blended the interest of the 
houses of York and Lancaster, so that ever after they were 
incapable of distinction. 

2. A great part of the miseries of his predecessors pro- 
ceeded from their poverty, which was mostly occasioned by 
riot and dissipation. Henry saw that money alone could 
turn, the scale of power in his favour ; and, therefore, 
hoarded up all the confiscations of his enemies with the 
utmost frugality. 

Immediately after his marriage with Elizabeth, he issued 
a general pardon to all such as chose to accept it ; but people 
were become so turbulent and factious, by a long course of 
civil war, that no governor could rule them, nor any king 
please ; so that one rebellion seemed extinguished only to 
give rise to another. 

3. There lived in Oxford one Richard Simon, a priest, 
who possessing some subtlety, and more rashness, trained 
up Lambert Simnel, a baker's son 9 to counterfeit the person 
of the earl of Warwick, the son of the duke of Clarence, 
who was smothered in a butt of malmsey. But, as the im- 
postor was not calculated to bear a close inspection, it was 
thought proper to show him first at a distance ; and Ireland 
was judged the fittest theatre for him to support his assumed 
character. 

4. In this manner Simnel, being joined by lord Lovel, 
and one or two lords more of the discontented party, re- 
solved to pass over into England ; and accordingly landed 
in Lancashire, from whence he marched to York, expecting 
the country would rise and join him as he marched along. 
Bat in this he was deceived; the people, averse to join a 
body of German and Irish troops, by whom he was sup- 



142 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ported, and kept in awe by the king's reputation, remained 
in tranquillity, or gave all their assistance to the royal cause. 
5. The opposite armies met at Stoke, in the county of 
Nottingham, and fought a battle, which was more bloody, 
and more obstinately disputed, than could have been ex- 
pected from the inequality of their forces. 6. But a vic- 
tory at length declared in favour of the king, and it proved 
decisive. Lord Lincoln perished in the field of battle : 
lord Lovel was never more heard of, and it is supposed he 
shared the same fate. Simnel, with his tutor Simon, were 
taken prisoners; and four thousand of the common men 
fell in the battle. Simon, being a priest, could not be tried 
by the civil power, and was only committed to close con- 
finement. 7. Simnel was too contemptible to excite the 
king's fear or resentment ; he was pardoned, and made 
a scullion in the king's kitchen, whence he was afterwards 
advanced to the rank of falconer, in which mean employ- 
ment he died. 

8. A fresh insurrection began in Yorkshire. The people 
resisting the commissioners who were appointed to levy 
the taxes, the earl of Northumberland attempted to enforce 
the king's command ; but the populace, being by this taught 
to believe that he was the adviser of their oppressions, flew 
to arms, attacked his house, and put him to death. The 
mutineers did not stop there; but, by the advice of one 
John Archamber, a seditious fellow of mean appearance, 
they chose sir John Egremont for their leader, and prepared 
themselves for a vigorous resistance. 9. The king, upon 
hearing of this rash proceeding, immediately levied a force, 
which he put under the earl of Surry : and this nobleman, 
encountering the rebels, dissipated the tumult, and took 
their leader, Archamber, prisoner. Archamber was shortly 
after executed, but sir John Egremont fled to the court of 
the dutchess of Burgundy, the usual retreat of all who were 
obnoxious to government in England. 

10. One would have imagined, that from the ill success 
of Simnel's imposture, few would be willing to embark in 
another of a similar kind ; however, the old dutchess of 
Burgundy, rather irritated than discouraged by the failure 
of her past enterprises, was determined to disturb that go- 
vernment which she could not subvert, A. D. 1492. She 
first procured a report to be spread that the young duke of 
York, said to have been murdered in the Tower, was still 
living ; and finding the rumour greedily received, she soon 



HENRY VII. 143 

produced a young man who assumed his name and cha- 
racter. 11. The person chosen to sustain this part was one 
Osbeck, or Warbeck, the son of a converted Jew, who had 
been over in England during the reign of Edward IV. 
where he had this son named Peter, but corrupted, after 
the Flemish manner, into Peterkin, or Perkin. 12. The 
dutchess of Burgundy found this youth entirely suited to 
her purposes ; and her lessons, instructing him to personate 
the duke of York, were easily learned and strongly retained 
by a youth of very quick apprehension. In short, his 
graceful air, his courtly address, his easy manner, and 
elegant conversation, were capable of imposing upon all 
but such as were conscious of the imposture. 

The English, ever ready to revolt, gave credit to all these 
absurdities ; while the young man's prudence, conversation, 
and deportment served to confirm what their disaffection 
and credulity had begun. 

13. Among those who secretly abetted the cause of 
Perkin were lord Fitzwalter, sir Simond Mountford, sir 
Thomas Thwaits, and sir Robert Clifford. But the person 
of the greatest weight, and the most dangerous opposition, 
was sir William Stanley, the lord chamberlain, and brother 
to the famous lord Stanley, who had contributed to place 
Henry on the throne. This personage, either moved by a 
blind credulity, or more probably by a restless ambition, 
entered into a regular conspiracy against the king ; and a 
correspondence was settled between the malecontents in 
England and those in Flanders. 

14. While the plot was thus carrying on in all quarters, 
Henry was not inattentive to the designs of his enemies. 
He spared neither labour nor expense to detect the false- 
hood of the pretender to his crown ; and was equally assi- 
duous in finding out who were his secret abettors. For 
this purpose he dispersed his spies through all Flanders, 
and brought over, by large bribes, some of those whom he 
knew to be in the enemy's interest. 15. Among these, sir 
Robert Clifford was the most remarkable, both for his con- 
sequence, and the confidence with which he was trusted. 
From this person Henry learnt the whole of Perkin's birth 
and adventures, together with the names of all those who 
had secretly combined to assist him. The king was pleased- 
with the discovery ; but the more trust he gave to his spies, 
the higher resentment did he feign against them. 

16. At first he was struck with indignation at the ingra- 



144 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



titude of many of those about him ; but, concealing his 
resentment for a proper opportunity, he almost at the same 
instant arrested Fitzwalter, Mountford, and Thwaits, to- 
gether with William Danbury, Robert Ratcliff, Thomas 
Cressenor, and Thomas AstwQod. All these were arraigned, 
convicted, and condemned for high-treason. Mountford, 
Ratcliff, and Danbury were immediately executed ; the rest 
received a pardon. 



Questions for Examination, 

1. What was Henry's first care ? 

2. What prudent measures did he take to secure his power? 

3. Who counterfeited the person of the earl of Warwick ? 

4. By whom was Simnel joined ? 

5. 6. What were the consequences of this rebellion? 

7. What became of Simnel ? 

8. What caused a fresh insurrection ? and what was the conduct of the 

mutineers ? 

10. What other imposture was now undertaken? 

11. Who was chosen to personate the duke of York ? 

12. Who instructed Perkin to personate him ? 

13. Who were his abettors ? 

14. 15. What was Henry's conduct on this occasion ? 
16. What was the fate of those who opposed the king ? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A. D. 1494.) The young adventurer, thus finding his 
hopes frustrated in England, went next to try his fortune 
in Scotland. In that country his luck seemed greater than 
in England, James IV., the king of that country, receiving 
him with great cordiality. He was seduced to believe the 
story of his birth and adventures ; and he carried his con- 
fidence so far, as to give him in marriage lady Catharine 
Gordon, daughter of the earl of Huntley, and a near kins- 
woman of his own ; a young lady eminent for virtue as 
well as beauty. 2. But not content with these instances 
of favour, he was resolved to attempt setting him on the 
throne of England. It was naturally expected that, upon 
Perkin's first appearance in that kingdom, all the friends of 
the house of York would rise in his favour. Upon this 
ground, therefore, the king of Scotland entered England 
with a numerous army, and proclaimed the young adven- 
turer wherever he went. But Perkin's pretensions, attended 



HENRY VII. 145 

by repeated disappointments, were now become stale, even 
in the eyes of the populace ; so that, contrary to expecta- 
tion, none were found to second his views. 

3. In this manner the restless Perkin, being dismissed 
Scotland, and meeting with a very cold reception from the 
Flemings, who now desired to be at peace with the English, 
resolved to continue his scheme of opposition, and took re- 
fuge among the wilds and fastnesses of Ireland. A. D. 1497. 
Impatient of an inactive life, he held a consultation with 
his followers, Heme, Skelton, and Astley, three broken 
tradesmen ; and by their advice he resolved to try the affec- 
tions of the Cornish men ; and he no sooner made his ap- 
pearance among them at Bodmid, in Cornwall, than the 
populace, to the number of three thousand, flocked to his 
standard. 4. Elated with this appearance of success, he 
took on him, for the first time, the title of Richard the 
Fourth, king of England ; and, not to suffer the spirits of 
his adherents to languish, he led them to the gates of 
Exeter. Finding the inhabitants obstinate in refusing to 
admit him, and being unprovided with artillery to force an 
entrance, he broke up the siege of Exeter, and retired to 
Taunton. 5. His followers, by this time, amounted to 
seven thousand men, and appeared ready to defend his 
cause ; but his heart failed him upon being informed that 
the king was coming down to oppose him ; and, instead 
of bringing his men into the field, he privately deserted 
them, and took sanctuary in the monastery of Beaulieu, in 
the New Forest. His wretched adherents, left to the king's 
mercy, found him still willing to pardon ; and except a few 
of the ringleaders, none were treated with capital severity. 
6. At the same time some other persons were employed to 
treat with Perkin, and to persuade him, under promise of 
a pardon, to deliver himself up to justice, and to confess 
and explain all the circumstances of his imposture. His 
affairs being altogether desperate, he embraced the king's 
offer without hesitation, and quitted the sanctuary. Henry 
being desirous of seeing him, he was brought to court, and 
conducted through the streets of London in a kind of mock 
triumph, amidst the derision and insults of the populace, 
which he bore with the most dignified resignation. 7. He 
was then compelled to sign a confession of his former life 
and conduct, which was printed and dispersed throughout 
the nation ; but it was so defective and contradictory, that 
instead of explaining the pretended imposture, it left it still 

N 



146 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

more doubtful than before ; and this youth's real pretensions 
are to this very day an object of dispute among the learned. 
After attempting once or twice to escape from custody, he 
was hanged at Tyburn : and several of his adherents suf- 
fered the same ignominious death. 

8. There had been hitherto nothing in this reign but 
plots, treasons, insurrections, impostures, and executions ; 
and it is probable that Henry's severity proceeded from 
the continual alarm in which they held him. It is certain 
that no prince ever loved peace more than he ; and much 
of the ill will of his subjects arose from his attempts to 
repress their inclinations for war. The usual preface to all 
his treaties was, " That, when Christ came into the world, 
peace was sung ; and when he went out of the world, peace 
was bequeathed." 

9. He had all along two points in view ; one to depress 
the nobility and clergy, and the other to exalt and humanize 
the populace. With this view he procured an act, by which 
the nobility were granted a power of disposing of their 
estates ; a law infinitely pleasing to the commons, and not 
disagreeable even to the nobles, since they had thus an im- 
mediate resource for supplying their taste for prodigality, 
and answering the demands of their creditors. The blow 
reached them in their posterity alone ; but they were too 
ignorant to be affected by such distant distresses. 

10. He was not remiss also in abridging the pope's 
power, while at the same time he professed the utmost sub- 
mission to his commands, and the greatest respect for the 
clergy. But while he thus employed his power in lowering 
the influence of the nobles and clergy, he was using every 
art to extend the privileges of the people. In fact, his 
greatest efforts were directed to promote trade and commerce, 
because they naturally introduced a spirit of liberty, and 
disengaged them from all dependence, except upon the laws 
and the king. 11. Before this great era, all our towns 
owed their origin to some strong castle in the neighbour- 
hood, where some powerful lord generally resided. These 
were at once fortresses for protection, and prisons for all 
sorts of criminals. In this castle there was usually a gar- 
rison armed and provided, depending entirely on the noble- 
man's support and assistance. 12. To these seats of pro- 
tection, artificers, victuallers, and shopkeepers naturally 
resorted, and settled on some adjacent spot, to furnish the 
lord and his attendants with all the necessaries they might 



HENRY VII. 147 

require. The farmers also, and the husbandmen, in the 
neighbourhood, built their houses there, to be protected 
against the numerous gangs of robbers, called Robertsmen, 
that hid themselves in the woods by day, and infested the 
open country by night. 13. Henry endeavoured to bring 
the towns from such a neighbourhood, by inviting the in- 
habitants to a more commercial situation. He attempted to 
teach them frugality, and a just payment of debts, by his 
own example ; and never once omitted the rights of the 
merchant, in all his treaties with foreign princes. 

14. Henry having seen England, in a great measure, 
civilized by his endeavours, his people pay their taxes with- 
out constraint, the nobles confessing subordination, the laws 
alone inflicting punishment, the towns beginning to live in- 
dependent of the powerful, commerce every day increasing, 
the spirit of faction extinguished, and foreigners either 
fearing England or seeking its alliance, he began to see the 
approaches of his end, and died of the gout in his stomach, 
(A. D. 1509), having lived fifty-two years, and reigned 
twenty-three. 

The reign of Henry VII. produced so many beneficial 
changes in the condition of England, and the manners of its 
people, that many historians have attributed to the monarch 
a larger share of wisdom and virtue than is justly his due. 
He was a faithless friend, a bitter enemy, a cruel husband 
to an amiable consort, an undutiful son to his venerable 
mother, a careless father, and an ungenerous master. He 
maintained peace because his avarice disinclined him to the 
expenses of war ; he increased the power of the people 
through jealousy of the nobles, and he checked the papal 
encroachments, because they interfered with his taxes. In- 
ordinate love of money and unrelenting hatred of the house 
of York* were his ruling passions, and the chief sources 
of all his vices and all his troubles. 

* The pretensions of Perkin Warbeck, the last who claimed the crown 
in right of the house of York, will naturally occur to the reader's mind, and 
some anxiety will be felt to learn whether he was really an unfortunate 
prince or a crafty impostor. The latter opinion seems to have prevailed 
principally on the authority of Shakspeare and lord Bacon, certainly the two 
greatest names in our literature, but as certainly witnesses wholly unworthy 
of credit in the present instance. They wrote to please queen Elizabeth, 
who was naturally anxious to raise the character of her grandfather Henry 
VII. and depreciate that of his rival Richard III. 

The first point to be ascertained is the fact of the murder of the two 
young princes, and this, which would at once have decided the pretensions 
of Warbeck, was so far from heing proved, that the inquisition taken and 
published by Henry's command is so full of contradictions and palpable 



148 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Where next did the young adventurer try his fortune ? and what was 
his success ? 

3. After his disappointment in Scotland, what was Perkin's future scheme 

of opposition ? 

4. What title did Perkin assume? 

5. What was his conduct afterwards ? 

6. In what manner did Henry treat him ? 

7. Of what nature was his confession ? and what his fate ? 

8. From what cause proceeded Henry's severity ? 
What was his usual preface to his treaties ? 

9. What were the two points which Henry had always in view ? and what 

plan did he pursue to attain them? 

10. How did he abridge the power of the pope ? 

11, 12. Before this era, what was the state of the towns in England ? 
13, 14. By what means did Henry civilize his country ? 

When did the king die ? and what was his character ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. a.d. 

Innocent VIII 1484 

Alexander VI 1492 

Pius III 1503 

Julius III 1503 

Emperors of Germany. 

Frederick II 1440 

Maximilian 1 1493 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Bajazet II 1481 



Kings of France. 

A.D. 

Charles VIII 1483 

LouisXII 1498 

King and Queen of Spain. 

Ferdinand* the 
Catholic, and 
Isabella 1475 

Kings of Portugal. 
John 1481 



A.D. 

Emanuel 1495 

King of Denmark and 

Sweden. 
John 1481 

Kings of Scotland. 

JamesIII 1460 

James IV 1489 



absurdities, that Henry himself never made use of it in any of his later 
declarations. Besides, the persons who were said to have confessed the 
murder were never brought to trial for the crime. 

The next evidence brought forward on the side of Henry is the confession 
extorted from Warbeck after he was made prisoner. Like the former, it 
bears internal evidence of its own falsehood, though the unfortunate young 
man is said to have repeated it at the time of his death. 

On the other side, we have the evidence of the dutchess of Burgundy, 
who could have had no possible motive for joining in such a foul conspiracy 
against the husband of her own niece ; and to sav nothing of a host of friends 
of the house of York, we have the negative evidence of the dowager-queen, 
whom Henry kept in close confinement from the moment of Warbeck's ap- 
pearance. To have brought him into her presence would at once have set 
the question at rest, for surely the mother would have known whether it 
w 7 as her son or not that stood before her. But Henry took especial care to 
prevent such an interview, and the inference is, that he had just reason to 
dread that its consequences would be a confirmation of Warbeck's preten- 
sions. — T. 

* Till this period, Spain had been divided into three different governments, 
viz. Leon, Castile and Arragon, under distinct sovereigns ; but by the mar- 
riage of Ferdinand and Isabella, heiress of Castile and Arragon, the whole 
was united in one kingdom. 



HENRY VIII. 149 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

John Morton, Henry Chicheley, Thomas Langton, archbishops of Cantor- 
bury. Margaret, countess of Richmond, mother of the king. Cardinal 
Morton, lord chancellor. Fox, bishop of Winchester. Sebastian Cabot, a 
great navigator. Empson and Dudley, extortionate ministers of the king. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
HENRY VIII. 



Born 1491. Died January 28, 1547. Began to reign April 22, 1509. 
Reigned 371 years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1509.) No prince ever came to the throne with 
a conjuncture of circumstances more in his favour than 
Henry the Eighth, who now, in the eighteenth year of his 
age, undertook the government of the kingdom. As he 
was at the head of a formidable army, fifty thousand strong, 
and as a war with France was the most pleasing to the peo- 
ple, he determined to head his forces for the conquest of that 
kingdom. 2. But France was not threatened by him alone : 
the Swiss, in another quarter, with twenty-five thousand 
men, were preparing to invade it ; while Ferdinand of 
Arragon, whom no treaties could bind, was only waiting for 
a convenient opportunity of attack on his side to advantage. 
Never was the French monarchy in so distressed a situation ; 
but the errors of its assailants procured its safety. 3. After 
an ostentatious but ineffectual campaign, a truce was con- 
cluded between the two kingdoms ; and Henry continued 
to dissipate, in more peaceful follies, those immense sums 
which had been amassed by his predecessor for very differ- 
ent purposes. 

4. In this manner, while his pleasures on the one hand 
engrossed Henry's time, the preparations for repeated ex- 
peditions exhausted his treasures on the other. As it was 
natural to suppose the old ministers, who were appointed 
to direct him by his father, would not willingly concur in 
these idle projects, Henry had, for some time, discontinued 
asking their advice, and chiefly confided in the counsels of 

N 2 



150 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Thomas, afterwards cardinal Wolsey, who seemed to second 
him in his favourite pursuits. 5. Wolsey was a minister 
who complied with all his master's inclinations, and flattered 
him in every scheme to which his sanguine and impetuous 
temper was inclined. He was the son of a private gentle- 
man, at Ipswich. He was sent to Oxford so early, that he 
was a bachelor at fourteen, and at that time was called the 
boy bachelor. He rose by degrees, upon quitting college, 
from one preferment to another, till he was made rector of 
Lymington by the marquis of Dorset, whose children he 
had instructed. 6. He was soon recommended as chaplain 
to Henry the Seventh ; and being employed by that mo- 
narch in a secret negotiation respecting his intended mar- 
riage with Margaret of Savoy, he acquitted himself to the 
king's satisfaction, and obtained the praise both of diligence 
and dexterity. 7. That prince having given him a commis- 
sion to Maximilian, who at that time resided at Brussels, 
was surprised in less than three days to see Wolsey present 
himself before him ; and, supposing he had been delinquent, 
began to reprove his delay. Wolsey, however, surprised 
him with an assurance that he had just returned from Brus- 
sels, and had successfully fulfilled all his majesty's com- 
mands. 8. His despatch on that occasion procured him the 
deanery of Lincoln ; and in this situation it was that he 
was introduced by Fox, bishop of Winchester, to the young 
king's notice, in hopes that he would have talents to sup- 
plant the earl of Surry, who was the favourite at that time ; 
and in this Fox was not out in his conjectures. Presently 
after being introduced at court, he was made a privy coun- 
sellor ; and as such had frequent opportunities of ingratia- 
ting himself with the young king, as he appeared at once 
complying, submissive, and enterprising. 9. Wolsey used 
every art to suit himself to the royal temper; he sung, 
laughed, and danced with every libertine of the court; 
neither his own years, which were nearly forty, nor his 
character as a clergyman, were any restraint upon him, or 
tended to check, by ill-timed severities, the gayety of his 
companions. To such a weak and vicious monarch as 
Henry, qualities of this nature were highly pleasing ; and 
Wolsey was soon acknowledged as the chief favourite, and 
to him was intrusted the chief administration of affairs. 
10. The people began to see with indignation the new fa- 
vourite's mean condescensions to the king, and his arro- 
gance to themselves. They had long regarded the vicious 



HENRY VIII. 151 

haughtiness and the unbecoming splendour of the clergy 
with envy and detestation ; and Wolsey's greatness served 
to bring a new odium upon that body, already too much the 
object of the people's dislike. His character, being now 
placed in a more conspicuous point of light, daily began to 
manifest itself the more. 11. Insatiable in his acquisitions, 
but still more magnificent in his expense ; of extensive ca- 
pacity, but still more unbounded in enterprise ; ambitious 
of power, but still more desirous of glory ; insinuating, en- 
gaging, persuasive, and at other times lofty, elevated, and 
commanding ; haughty to his equals, but affable to his de- 
pendants ; oppressive to the people, but liberal to his 
friends ; more generous than grateful ; formed to take the 
ascendant in every intercourse, but vain enough not to cover 
his real superiority. 

12. In order to divert the envy of the public from his 
inordinate exaltation, he soon entered into a correspondence 
with Francis the First, of France, who had taken many 
methods to work upon his vanity, and at last succeeded. 
In consequence of that monarch's wishes, Henry was per- 
suaded by the cardinal to an interview with that prince. 
This expensive congress was held between Guisnes and 
Andres, near Calais, within the English pale, in compliment 
to Henry for crossing the sea. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What combination of circumstances favoured Henry the Eighth on com- 
ing to the throne ? 

3. What was the conduct of Henry after the truce with France ? 

4. In what counsels did Henry chiefly confide ? 

5. Whose son was cardinal Wolsey ? 

6. What disgraceful circumstance happened to Wolsey ? 

7. 8. What circumstances led to Wolsey's advancement? 
9. What were the arts used by Wolsey to please the king ? 

10. What were the consequences? 

11. In what manner did Wolsey's character now manifest itself? 

12. With whom did he enter into a correspondence ? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A.D. 1520.) Some months before, a defiance had been 
sent by the two kings to each other's court, and through 
all the chief cities of Europe, importing that Henry and 



153 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Francis, with fourteen aids, would be ready in the plains 
of Picardy to answer all comers, that were gentlemen, at 
tilt and tournay.* Accordingly, the monarchs, now all 
gorgeously apparelled, entered the lists on horseback ; 
Francis, surrounded with Henry's guards, and Henry with 
those of Francis. 2. They were both at that time the 
most comely personages of their age, and prided themselves 
on their expertness in the military exercises. The ladies 
were the judges in these feats of chivalry ; and they put an 
end to the encounter whenever they thought proper. In 
these martial exercises, the crafty French monarch gratified 
Henry's vanity by allowing him to enjoy a petty pre-eminence 
in these pastimes. 

3. By this time all the immense treasures of the late king 
were quite exhausted on empty pageants, guilty pleasures, 
or vain treaties and expeditions. But the king relied on 
Wolsey alone for replenishing his coffers ; and no person 
could be fitter for the purpose. 4. His first care was to get 
a large sum of money from the people, under the title of a 
benevolence ; which, added to its being extorted, had the 
mortification of being considered as a free gift. Henry little 
minded the manner of its being raised, provided he had the 
enjoyment of it ; however, his minister met with some oppo- 
sition in his attempts to levy these extorted contributions. 
In the first place, having exacted a considerable sum from 
the clergy, he next addressed himself to the house of com- 
mons ; but they only granted him half the supplies he de- 
manded. 5. Wolsey was at first highly offended at their 
parsimony, and desired to be heard in the house ; but as 
this would have destroyed the very form and constitution of 
that august body, they replied, that none could be permitted 
to sit and argue there but such as had been elected mem- 
bers. This was the first attempt made in this reign to 
render the king master of the debates in parliament. Wolsey 
first paved the way, and, unfortunately for the kingdom, 
Henry too well improved upon his plans soon after. 

6. Hitherto the administration of all affairs was carried 
on by Wolsey ; for the king was contented to lose, in the 
embraces of his mistresses, all the complaints of his sub- 
jects ; and the cardinal undertook to keep him ignorant, 
in order to continue his uncontrolled authority. But now 
a period was approaching that was to put an end to this 

* Thia game was instituted by Henry I. of Germany, A.D. 919, and abo- 
lished in 1560. 



HENRY VIII. 153 

minister's exorbitant power. One of the most extraordi- 
nary and important revolutions that ever employed the 
attention of man was now ripe for execution. This was 
no less a change than the reformation. 7. The vices and 
impositions of the church of Rome were now almost come 
to a head ; and the increase of arts and learning among the 
laity, propagated by means of printing, which had been 
lately invented, began to make them resist that power, 
which was originally founded on deceit. A.D. 1519. Leo 
the Tenth was at that time pope, and eagerly employed in 
building the church of St. Peter, at Rome. In order to 
procure money for carrying on that expensive undertaking, 
he gave a commission for selling indulgences, a practice 
that had often been tried before. 8. These were to free 
the purchaser from the pains of purgatory ; and they would 
serve even for one's friends, if purchased with that inten- 
tion. The Augustine friars* had usually been employed in 
Saxony to preach the indulgences, and from this trust had 
derived both profit and consideration ; but the pope's 
minister, supposing that they had found out illicit methods 
of secreting the money, transferred this lucrative employ- 
ment from them to the Dominicans.! 9. Martin Luther, 
professor in the university of Wirtemberg, was an Augus- 
tine monk, and one of those who resented this transfer of 
the sale of indulgences from one order to another. He 
began to show his indignation by preaching against their 
efficacy ; and being naturally of a fiery temper, and pro- 
voked by opposition, he inveighed against the authority of 
the pope himself. Being driven hard by his adversaries, 
still as he enlarged his reading, in order to support his 
tenets, he discovered some new abuse or error in the 
church of Rome. 10. In this dispute, it was the fate of 
Henry to be champion on both sides. His father, who 
had given him the education of a scholar, permitted him to 
be instructed in school divinity, which then was the princi- 
pal object of learned inquiry. Henry, therefore, willing to 
convince the world of his abilities in that science, obtained 
the pope's permission to read the works of Luther, which 

* They observed the rule of St. Augustine, prescribed them by pope Alex- 
ander IV. in 1256. This rule was, to have all things in common : the rich, 
who entered among them, were compelled to sell their possessions, and give 
them to the poor. 

t In some places called jacobins, and in others predicants, or preaching 
friars ; they were obliged to take a vow of absolute poverty, and to abandon 
entirely their revenues and possessions. 



154 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

had been forbidden under pain of excommunication. 1 1. In 
consequence of this, the king defended the seven sacraments, 
out of St. Thomas Aquinas ; and showed some dexterity 
in this science, though it is thought that Wolsey had the 
chief hand in directing him. A book being thus finished in 
haste, it was sent to Rome for the pope's approbation, which 
it was natural to suppose would not be withheld. The 
pontiff, ravished with its eloquence and depth, compared 
it to the labours of St. Jerome, or St. Augustine, and re- 
warded the author of it with the title of defender of the 
faith ; little imagining that Henry was soon to be one the 
most terrible enemies that ever the church of Rome had to 
contend with. 



Questions for Examination. 

1, 2. Relate the particulars of the congress that took place in the plains of 
Picardy. 

3. In what manner were the late king's treasures exhausted ? 

4. How were the king's coffers replenished ? 

5. What was the first attempt made to render the king master of the de- 

bates in parliament ? 

6. Why did Wolsey endeavour to keep the king ignorant of the complaints 

of his subjects ? 

7. What practices led to the reformation ? 

9. In what manner did Luther oppose the transfer of the sale of indul- 
gences ? 
10,11. What was the king's conduct on this occasion? and what was his 
reward ? 



SECTION III. 



1. (A.D. 1527.) Henry had now been eighteen years 
married to Catharine of Arragon, who had been brought 
over from Spain, and married to his eldest brother, who 
died a few months after. But, notwithstanding the submis- 
sive deference paid for the indulgence of the church, Hen- 
ry's marriage with this princess did not pass without scru- 
ple and hesitation, both on his own side and on that of the 
people. 2. However, his scruples were carried forward, 
though perhaps not at first excited by a motive much more 
powerful than the tacit suggestion of his conscience. It 
happened that among the maids of honour then attending 
the queen, there was one Anna Bullen, the daughter of sir 
Thomas Bullen, a gentleman of distinction, and related to 
most of the nobility, He had been employed by the king 



HENRY VIII. 155 

in several embassies, and was married to a daughter of the 
duke of Norfolk. 3. The beauty of Anna surpassed what- 
ever had hitherto appeared at this voluptuous court ; and 
her education, which had been at Paris, tended to set off her 
personal charms. Henry, who had never learned the art of 
restraining any passion that he desired to gratify, saw and 
loved her ; but after several efforts to induce her to comply 
with his criminal desires, he found that without marriage he 
could have no chance of succeeding. 4. This obstacle, 
therefore, he hardly undertook to remove ; and as his own 
queen was now become hateful to him, in order to procure 
a divorce, he alleged that his conscience rebuked him for 
having so long lived in incest with the wife of his brother. 
In this pretended perplexity, therefore, he applied to Cle- 
ment the Seventh, who owed him many obligations, desir- 
ing him to dissolve the bull of the former pope, which had 
given him permission to marry Catharine ; and to declare 
that it was not in the power, even of the holy see, to dis- 
pense with the law so strictly enjoined in Scripture. 5. 
The unfortunate pope, unwilling to grant, yet afraid to re- 
fuse, continued to promise, recant, dispute, and temporize ; 
hoping that the king's passion would never hold out during 
the tedious course of an ecclesiastical controversy. In this 
he was entirely mistaken. Henry had been long taught to 
dispute as well as he, and quickly found or wrested many 
texts in Scripture to favour his opinions, or his passions. 
6. During the course of a long perplexing negotiation, on 
the issue of which Henry's happiness seemed to depend, he 
had at first expected to find in his favourite Wolsey a warm 
defender and a steady adherent ; but in this he found him- 
self mistaken. Wolsey seemed to be in pretty much the 
same dilemma with the pope. On the one hand, he was 
to please his master the king, from whom he had received 
a thousand marks of favour ; and on the other hand, he 
feared to disoblige the pope, whose servant he more imme- 
diately was, and who, besides, had power to punish his dis- 
obedience. 7. He, therefore, resolved to continue neuter 
in the controversy ; and, though of all men the most haughty, 
he gave way on this occasion to Campeggio, the pope's nun- 
cio, in all things, pretending a deference to his skill in canon 
law. Wolsey's scheme of temporizing was highly displeas- 
ing to the king, but for a while he endeavoured to stifle his 
resentment, until he could act with more fatal certainty. 



15G HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

He for some time looked out for a man of equal abilities and 
less art ; and it was not long before accident threw in his 
way one Thomas Cranmer, of greater talents, and probably 
of more integrity. 

8. Thus finding himself provided with a person who 
could supply Wolsey's place, he appeared less reserved in 
his resentments against that prelate. The attorney-general 
was ordered to prepare a bill of indictment against him ; and 
he was soon after commanded to resign the great seal. 
Crimes are easily found out against a favourite in disgrace, 
and the courtiers did not fail to increase the catalogue of his 
errors. He was ordered to depart from York-place palace ; 
and all his furniture and plate were converted to the king's 
use. 9. The inventory of his goods being taken, they were 
found to exceed even the most extravagant surmises. He 
was soon after arrested by the earl of Northumberland, at 
the king's command, for high-treason, and preparations were 
made for conducting him from York, where he then resided, 
to London, in order to take his trial. 10. He at first refused 
to comply with the requisition, as being a cardinal ; but find- 
ing the earl bent on performing his commission, he com- 
plied, and set out by easy journeys to London, to appear as 
a criminal, where he had acted as a king. In his way he 
stayed a fortnight at the earl of Shrewsbury's ; where one 
day, at dinner, he was taken ill, not without violent suspi- 
cions of having poisoned himself. Being brought forward 
from thence, he with much difficulty reached Leicester-ab- 
bey ; where the monks coming out to meet him, he said, 
" Father Abbot, I am come to lay my bones among you :" 
and immediately ordered his bed to be prepared. 11. As 
his disorder increased, an officer being placed near him, at 
once to guard and attend him, he spoke to him a little before 
he expired to this effect : " Had I but served God as dili- 
gently as I have served the king, he would not have given 
me over in my gray hairs. But this is the just reward I 
must receive for my indulgent pains and study ; not regard- 
ing my service to God, but only to my prince." He died 
soon after, in all the pangs of remorse, and left a life which 
had all along been rendered turbid by ambition, and wretch- 
ed by mean assiduities. 

12. The tie that held Henry to the church being thus 
broken, he resolved to keep no farther measures with the 
pontiff. He, therefore, privately married Anna Bullen, 



HENRY VIII. 



157 




Death of Queen Catharine of Arragon. 

whom he had created marchioness of Pembroke ; the duke 
of Norfolk, uncle to the new queen, her father, and Dr. 
Cranmer, being present at the ceremony. Soon after, find- 
ing the queen pregnant, he publicly owned his marriage, 
and, to cover over his disobedience to the pope with an ap- 
pearance of triumph, he passed with his beautiful bride 
through London with a magnificence greater than had ever 
been known before. But, though Henry had thus seceded 
from the church, yet he had not addicted himself to the sys- 
tem of the reformers. 

13. As the monks had all along shown him the greatest 
resistance, he resolved at once to deprive them of future 
power to injure him. He accordingly empowered Thomas 
Cromwell, who was now made secretary of state, to send 
commissioners into the several counties of England to inspect 
the monasteries, and to report with rigorous exactness the 
conduct and deportment of such as were resident there. 
This employment was readily undertaken by some creatures 
of the court, namely, Layton, London, Price, Gage, Peter, 
and Bellasis, who are said to have discovered monstrous 
disorders in many of the religious houses. The accusations, 
whether true or false, were urged with great clamour against 
these communities, and a general horror was excited in the 
nation against them. 

14. Queen Catharine of Arragon, Henry's first wife, lived in 
retirement after her divorce until her decease. She was one 
of the brightest characters in English history. Her charac- 
ter and death are admirably depicted by Shakspeare. 

O 



158 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. Who was Henry's first wife ? 

2. Whom did he afterwards wish to obtain ? 

3. What description is given of Anna Bullen ? 

4. What pretence did Henry allege to procure a divorce ? 

5. What was the conduct of the pope ? 

6. What were the circumstances which put an end to Wolsey's power ? 

8. In what manner did the king act towards him ? 

9. What account is given of the inventory of his goods ? 

10. What circumstances preceded the death of Wolsey ? 

11. Relate Wolsey's expression immediately before his death. 

12. What followed Wolsey's death? 

13. What commission did the king give to Cromwell ? 

14. What is said of queen Catharine ? 



SECTION IV. 



1. (A.D. 1536.) A new visitation of the religious houses 
was soon after appointed, and fresh crimes were also pro- 
duced ; so that his severities were conducted with such seem- 
ing justice and success, that in less than two years he became 
possessed of all the monastic revenues. These, on the whole, 
amounted to six hundred and forty-five, of which twenty-eight 
had abbots who enjoyed a seat in parliament. Ninety colleges 
were demolished in several counties ; two thousand three hun- 
dred and seventy-four chantries and free chapels, and a hun- 
dred and ten hospitals. 2. The whole revenue of these esta- 
blishments amounted to one hundred and sixty-one thousand 
pounds, which was about a twentieth part of the national 
income. But as great murmurs were excited by some on 
this occasion, Henry took care that all those who could be 
useful to him, or even dangerous in case of opposition, 
should be sharers in the spoil. He either made a gift of the 
revenues of the convents to his principal courtiers, or sold 
them at low prices, or exchanged them for other lands on 
very disadvantageous terms. 

3. Henry's opinions were at length delivered in a law, 
which, from its horrid consequences, was afterwards termed 
the Bloody Statute; by which it was ordained, that who- 
ever, by word or writing, denied transubstantiation, whoever 
maintained that the communion in both kinds was necessary, 
whoever asserted that it was lawful for priests to marry, 
whoever alleged that vows of chastity might be broken, 
whoever maintained that private masses were unprofitable, 
or that auricular confession was unnecessary, should be found 



HENRY VIII. 159 

guilty of heresy, and burned or hanged as the court should 
determine. 4. As the people were at that time chiefly com- 
posed of those who followed the opinions of Luther, and 
such as still adhered to the pope, this statute, with Henry's 
former decrees, in some measure included both, and opened 
a field for persecution, which soon after produced its dread- 
ful harvests. Bainham and Bilney were burned for their 
opposition to popery. Sir Thomas More and bishop Fisher 
were beheaded for denying the king's supremacy. 

5. These severities, however, were preceded by one of a 
different nature, arising neither from religious nor political 
causes, but merely from a tyrannical caprice. Anna Bullen, 
his queen, had always been favourable to the reformation, 
and consequently had many enemies on that account, who 
only waited some fit occasion to destroy her credit with the 
king, and that occasion presented itself but too soon. 6. 
The king's passion was by this time quite palled with satiety, 
as the only desire he ever had for her arose from that brutal 
appetite which enjoyment soon destroys. He was now fallen 
in love, if we may so prostitute the expression, with another, 
and languished for the possession of Jane Seymour, who 
had for some time been maid of honour to the queen. 

7. In the mean time her enemies were not remiss in rais- 
ing an accusation against her. The duke of Norfolk, from 
his attachment to the old religion, took care to produce seve- 
ral witnesses, accusing her of incontinency with some of 
the meaner servants of the court. Four persons were par- 
ticularly pointed out as her paramours ; Henry Norris, 
groom of the stole ; Weston and Breton, gentlemen of the 
king's bedchamber ; together with Mark Smeaton, a musi- 
cian. 8. Accordingly, soon after, Norris, Weston, Breton, 
and Smeaton were tried in Westminster-hall, when Smeaton 
was prevailed upon, by the promise of a pardon, to confess 
a criminal correspondence with the queen ; but he was never 
confronted with her he accused ; and his execution with the 
rest, shortly after, served to acquit her of the charge. 9. 
Norris, who had been much in the king's favour, had an 
offer of his life if he would confess his crime, and accuse 
his mistress; but he rejected the proposal with contempt, 
and died professing her innocence and his own. The queen 
and her brother were tried by a jury of peers ; but upon 
what proof or pretence the crime of incest was urged against 
them is unknown : the chief evidence, it is said, amounted 
to no more than that Rochford had been seen to lean on her 



160 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

bed before some company. 10. Part of the charge against 
her was, that she had declared to her attendants that the king 
never had her heart : which was considered as a slander 
upon the throne, and strained into a breach of law by statute, 
by which it was declared criminal to throw any slander upon 
the king, queen, or their issue. The unhappy queen, though 
unassisted by counsel, defended herself with great judgment 
and presence of mind ; and the spectators could not forbear 
declaring her entirely innocent. 11. She answered distinctly 
to all the charges brought against her : but the king's authority 
was not to be controlled ; she was declared guilty, and her sen- 
tence ran that she should be burned or beheaded at the king's 
pleasure. On the morning of her execution, her sentence being 
mitigated into beheading, she sent for Kingstone, the keeper 
of the Tower, to whom, upon entering the prison, she said, 
" Mr. Kingstone, I hear I am not to die till noon, and I am 
sorry for it ; for I thought to be dead before this time, and 
free from a life of pain." 12. The keeper attempting to 
comfort her by assuring her the pain would be very little, 
she replied, " I have heard the executioner is very expert; 
and (clasping her neck with her hands, laughing) I have but 
a little neck." When brought to the scaffold, from a con- 
sideration of her child Elizabeth's welfare, she would not 
inflame the minds of the spectators against her prosecutors, 
but contented herself with saying, that " she was come to 
die as she was sentenced by the law." 13. She would ac- 
cuse none, nor say any thing of the ground upon which she 
was judged ; she prayed heartily for the king, and called 
him " a most merciful and gentle prince : that he had always 
been to her a good and gracious sovereign ; and if that any 
one should think proper to canvass her cause, she desired 
him to judge the best." She was beheaded by the execu- 
tioner of Calais, who was brought over, as much more expert 
than any in England. 14. The very next day after her 
execution he married the lady Jane Seymour, his cruel heart 
being no way softened by the wretched fate of one that had 
been so lately the object of his warmest affections. He also 
ordered his parliament to give him a divorce between her 
sentence and execution, and thus he endeavoured to render 
Elizabeth, the only child he had by her, illegitimate, as he 
had in the same manner, formerly, Mary, his only child by 
queen Catharine. 



HENRY VIII. 1G1 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What monastic revenues now came into the king's possession? 

2. What was the amount of these revenues? 

3. What were the opinions of Henry ? 

4. What were the horrid consequences ? 

5. What tyrannical act preceded these severities ? 
7. Relate the charges alleged against Anna Bullen. 

9. What is said to have been the chief evidence against her ? 

10. What strange charge was brought against her? 

11. What was her behaviour on the trial ? 

12. 13. What at her execution ? 

14. In what manner did the king act after her execution ? 



SECTION V. 



1. (A.D. 1537.) In the midst of these commotions the 
fires of Smithfield were seen to blaze with unusual fierce- 
ness. Those who adhered to the pope, or those who fol- 
lowed the doctrines of Luther, were equally the objects of 
royal vengeance and ecclesiastical persecution. From the 
multiplied alterations which were made in the national sys- 
tems of belief, mostly drawn up by Henry himself, few 
knew what to think, or what to profess. 2. They were 
ready enough to follow his doctrines, how inconsistent or 
contradictory soever ; but, as he was continually changing 
them himself, they could hardly pursue so fast as he advanced 
before them. Thomas Cromwell, raised by the king's ca- 
price from being a blacksmith's son to be a royal favourite 
(for tyrants ever raise their favourites from the lowest of the 
people), together with Cranmer, now become archbishop of 
Canterbury, were both seen to favour the reformation with 
all their endeavours. 3. On the other hand, Gardiner, 
bishop of Winchester, together with the duke of Norfolk, 
were for leading the king back to his original faith. In 
fact, Henry submitted to neither ; his pride had long been 
so inflamed by flattery, that he thought himself entitled to 
regulate, by his own single opinion, the religious faith of 
the whole nation. 

4. Soon after, no less than five hundred persons were im- 
prisoned for contradicting the opinions delivered in the 
Bloody Statute : and received protection only from the lenity 
of Cromwell. Lambert, a schoolmaster, and doctor Barnes, 
who had been instrumental in Lambert's execution, felt the 

o2 



162 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

severity of the persecuting spirit, and by a bill in parliament, 
without any trial, were condemned to the flames, discussing 
theological questions at the very stake. With Barnes were 
executed one Gerrard, and Jerome, for the same opinions. 
Three catholics, also, whose names were Abel, Featherstone, 
and Powel, were dragged upon the same hurdles to execu- 
tion ; and who declared that the most grievous part of their 
punishment was the being coupled with such heretical mis- 
creants as were united in the same calamity. 

5. During these horrid transactions, Henry was resolved 
to take another queen, Jane Seymour having died in child- 
bed ; and after some negotiations upon the continent, he 
contracted marriage with Anne of Cleves, his aim being, by 
her means, to fortify his alliance with the princes of Ger- 
many. 6. His aversion, however, to the queen secretly 
increased every day ; and he at length resolved to get rid of 
her and his prime minister together. He had a strong cause 
of dislike to him for his late unpropitious alliance ; and a 
new motive was soon added for increasing his displeasure. 
Henry had fixed his affection on Catharine Howard, niece 
to the duke of Norfolk ; and the only method of gratifying 
this new passion was, as in the former cases, discarding the 
present queen to make room for a new one. The duke of 
Norfolk had long been Cromwell's mortal enemy, and eagerly 
embraced this opportunity to destroy a man he considered as 
his rival. 7. He therefore, made use of all his niece's arts 
to ruin the favourite ; and when this project was ripe for 
execution, he obtained a commission from the king to arrest 
Cromwell for high-treason. His disgrace was no sooner 
known, than all his friends forsook him, except Cranmer, 
who wrote such a letter to Henry in his behalf, as no other 
man in the kingdom would have presumed to offer. How- 
ever, he was accused in parliament of heresy and treason ; 
and without even being heard in his own defence, condemn- 
ed to suffer the pains of death, as the king should think 
proper to direct. 8. When he was brought to the scaffold, 
his regard for his son hindered him from expatiating upon 
his own innocence. He thanked God for bringing him to 
death for his transgressions ; confessed he had often been 
seduced, but that he now died in the catholic faith. 

But the measure of Henry's severities was not yet filled 
up. He had thought himself very happy in his new mar- 
riage. He was so captivated with the queen's accomplish- 
ments, that he gave public thanks for his felicity, and desired 



HENRY VIII. 1G3 

his confessor to join with him in the same thanksgiving. 
9. This joy, however, was of very short duration. While the 
king was at York, upon an intended conference with the 
king of Scotland, a man of the name of Lassels waited upon 
Cranmer at London ; and, from the information of his sis- 
ter, who had been servant to the dutchess-dowager of Nor- 
folk, he gave a very surprising account of the queen's incon- 
tinence. When the queen was first examined relative to 
her crime, she denied the charge ; but afterwards, finding 
that her accomplices were her accusers, she confessed her 
incontinence before marriage, but denied her having disho- 
noured the king's bed since her union. 10. Three maids 
of honour, who were admitted to her secrets, still further 
alleged her guilt ; and some of them made such confessions 
as tended to augment the nature of her crime. The servile 
parliament, upon being informed of the queen's crime and 
confession, quickly found her guilty, and petitioned the 
king that she might be punished with death ; that the same 
penalty might be inflicted on the lady Rochford, the accom- 
plice in her debaucheries; and that her grandmother, the 
dutchess-dowager of Norfolk, together with her father, mo- 
ther, and nine others, men and women, as having been privy 
to the queen's irregularities, should participate in her punish- 
ment. With this petition the king was most graciously 
pleased to agree ; they were condemned to death by an act 
of attainder, which, at the same time, made it capital for all 
persons to conceal their knowledge of the incontinence of 
any future queen. It was also enacted, that, if the king 
married any woman who had been incontinent, she should 
be guilty of treason, in case she did not previously reveal 
her guilt. The people made merry with this absurd and 
brutal statute; and it was said that the king must henceforth 
look out for a widow. 11. After all these laws were passed, 
in which the most wonderful circumstance is, that a body of 
men could ever be induced to give their consent, the queen 
was beheaded on Tower-hill, together with the lady Roch- 
ford, who found no great degree of compassion, as she had 
herself before tampered in blood. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What cruel persecution followed the multiplied alterations in the national 

belief? 

2. Who favoured the reformation ? 

3. Who endeavoured to lead the king back to popery ? 



164 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

5. Upon whom did Henry fix his affections? 

6. What caused Henry's dislike to Cromwell ? and what was the eonse 

quence ? 
9 In what manner was the king informed of the incontinence of his queen ? 

10. Who were the witnesses that alleged her guilt ? 

11. What was the fate of the queen? 



SECTION VI. 

1. (A.D. 1543.) In about a year after the death of the 
last queen, Henry once more changed his condition, by 
marrying his sixth and last wife, Catharine Parr, who, ac- 
cording to the ridiculous suggestions of the people, was, in 
fact, a widow. She was the widow of the late lord Latimer ; 
and was considered as a woman of discretion and virtue. 
She had already passed the meridian of life, and managed 
this capricious tyrant's temper with prudence and success. 

2. Still, however, the king's severity to his subjects con- 
tinued as fierce as ever. For some time he had been incom- 
moded by an ulcer in his leg ; the pain of which, added to 
his corpulence and other infirmities, increased his natural 
irascibility to such a degree, that scarcely any of his domes- 
tics approached him without terror. It was not to be ex- 
pected, therefore, that any who differed from him in opinion 
should, at this time particularly, hope for pardon. 

3. Though his health was declining apace, yet his im- 
placable cruelties were not the less frequent. His resentment 
was diffused indiscriminately to all ; at one time a protes- 
tant, and at another a catholic, were the objects of his se- 
verity. The duke of Norfolk, and his son, the earl of 
Surry, were the last that felt the injustice of the tyrant's 
groundless suspicions. 4. The duke was a nobleman who 
had served the king with talent and fidelity ; his son was 
a young man of the most promising hopes, who excelled in 
every accomplishment that became a scholar, a courtier, 
and a soldier. He excelled in all the military exercises 
which were then in request ; he encouraged the fine arts 
by his practice and example ; and it is remarkable that 
he was the first who brought our language, in his poetical 
pieces, to any degree of refinement. 5. He celebrated 
the fair Geraldine in all his sonnets, and maintained her 
superior beauty in all places of public contention. These 



HENRY VIII. 165 

qualifications, however, were no safeguard to him against 
Henry's suspicions ; he had dropped some expressions of 
resentment against the king's ministers, upon being dis- 
placed from the government of Boulogne ; and the whole 
family was become obnoxious from the late incontinence 
of Catharine Howard, the queen, who was executed. 6. 
From these motives, therefore, private orders were given 
to arrest father and son ; and accordingly they were ar- 
rested both on the same day, and confined in the Tower. 
Surry being a commoner, his trial was the more expe- 
ditious : and as to proofs, there were many informers base 
enough to betray the intimacies of private confidence, and 
all the connexions of blood. The dutchess-dowager of 
Richmond, Surry's own sister, enlisted herself among the 
number of his accusers ; and sir Richard Southwell also, 
his most intimate friend, charged him with infidelity to 
the king. 7. It would seem that, at this dreary period, 
there was neither faith nor honour to be found in all the 
nation. Surry denied the charge, and challenged his ac- 
cuser to single combat. This favour was refused him ; and 
it was alleged that he had quartered the arms of Edward 
the Confessor on his escutcheon, which alone was sufficient 
to convict him of aspiring to the crown. To this he could 
make no reply ; and indeed any answer would have been 
needless ; for neither parliaments nor juries, during this 
reign, seemed to be guided by any other proofs but the will 
of the crown. 8. This young nobleman was, therefore, 
condemned for high-treason, notwithstanding his eloquent 
and spirited defence ; and the sentence was soon after exe- 
cuted upon him on Tower-hill. In the mean time the duke 
endeavoured to mollify the king by letters of submission ; 
but the monster's hard heart was rarely subject to tender 
impressions. 9. The parliament meeting on the fourteenth 
day of January (A.D. 1546), a bill of attainder was found 
against the duke of Norfolk ; as it was thought he could not 
so easily have been convicted on a fair hearing by his 
peers. The death-warrant was made out, and immediately 
sent to the lieutenant of the Tower. The duke prepared for 
death ; the following morning was to be his last ; but an 
event of greater consequence to the kingdom intervened, and 
prevented his execution. 

10. The king had been for some time approaching fast 
towards his end ; and for several days all those about his 
person plainly saw that his speedy death was inevitable. 



166 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

The disorder in his leg was now grown extremely painful ; 
and this, added to his monstrous corpulency, which ren- 
dered him unable to stir, made him more furious than a 
chained lion. He had been very stern and severe ; he was 
now outrageous. In this state he had continued for nearly 
four years before his death, the terror of all, and the tor- 
mentor of himself; his courtiers having no inclination to 
make an enemy of him, as they were more ardently em- 
ployed in conspiring the death of each other.* 11. In this 
manner, therefore, he was suffered to struggle, without any 
of his domestics having the courage to warn him of his ap- 
proaching end ; as more than once, during this reign, per- 
sons had been put to death for foretelling the death of the 
king. At last, sir Anthony Denny had the courage to dis- 
close to him this dreadful secret ; and, contrary to his usual 
custom, he received the tidings with an expression of resig- 
nation. 12. His anguish and remorse were at this time 
greater than can be expressed ; he desired that Cranmer 
might be sent for ; but before that prelate could arrive he 
was speechless. Cranmer desired him to give some sign 
of his dying in the faith of Christ ; he squeezed his hand, 
and immediately expired, after a reign of thirty-seven years 
and nine months, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. 

13. Some kings have been tyrants from contradiction 
and revolt ; some from being misled by favourites ; and 
some from a spirit of party ; but Henry was cruel from a 



* The irritability of the king was so ungovernable, that many fell victims 
to it; and his queen, who constantly attended him with the most tender and 
dutiful care, had also, as will be seen by the following account, nearly fallen 
a sacrifice. Henry's favourite topic of conversation was theology, and 
Catharine had unwarilv ventured to raise objections against his arguments. 
Henry, highly provoked that she should presume to differ from his opinion, 
complained of her obstinacy to Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, the chancel- 
lor, who inflamed his anger by representing the queen as a dangerous here- 
tic. Hurried by their insinuations, he went so far as to direct the chancellor 
to draw up articles of impeachment, which he signed. This paper fortu- 
nately fell into the hands of one of the queen's friends, who immediately car- 
ried the intelligence to her. Next morning she paid her usual visit to the 
king, and finding him disposed to challenge her to an argument on divinity, 
she modestly declined the conversation, saying, that it did not become a 
weak woman to dispute with one, who, by his superior learning, was enti- 
tled to dictate, not only to her, but to the whole world ; and that if ever she 
had ventured to object to any thing he advanced, it was only for the sake 
of her own instruction, and to engage him upon topics which diverted his 
pains. This seasonable piece of flattery suddenly revived his affections, and 
the chancellor coming soon after with a numerous escort, to seize the queen 
and carry her to the Tower, the king treated him very roughly, calling him 
knave, fool, and beast, and commanded him to be gone. — De Moleville's 
Great Britain. 



HENRY VIII. 



167 



depraved disposition alone ; cruel in government, cruel in 
religion, and cruel in his family. Our divines have taken 
some pains to vindicate the character of this brutal prince, 
as if his conduct and our reformation had any connexion 
with each other. There is nothing so absurd as to defend 
the one by^he other; the most noble designs are brought 
about by the most vicious instruments ; for we see even that 
cruelty and injustice were thought necessary to be employed 
in our holy redemption. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. To whom was the king now married ? 

2. What at this time increased the king's irascibility ? 

3. Who were the last who felt this severity ? 

4. 5. What character is given of the earl of Surry ? 

6. Who appeared among the number of Surry's accusers ? 

7. What was the chief charge alleged against this nobleman ? 

8. Where was he executed ? 

9. What was the fate of his father, the duke of Norfolk ? 
10. What description is given of the king during his illness ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



I Kings of France, a.d. 

a.d. I Louis XII 1498 

Julius II 1503 Francis 1 1515 

LeoX 15131 

Adrian VI 1522 1 Kings and Qu. of Spain. 

Clement VII 1523 Philip 1 1504 



PaulIII 1534 

Emperors of Germany. 

Maximilian '1 1493 

Charles V 1519 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Bajazetll 1481 

SelimI 1512 

Soliman II 1520 



Joan 1506 

Charles 1 1516 

Kings of Portugal. 

Emanuel 1495 

John III 1512 

Kings of Denmark and 

Sweden. 
John 1481 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



A.D. 

Christian II 1513 

Kings of Denmark 
alone. 

Frederick 1 1524 

Christian III 1533 

King of Sweden alone. 
GustavusVasa*... 1522 

Kings and Queen of 
Scotland. 

James IV 1498 

James V 1514 

Mary 1542 



Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury ; cardinal Wolsey and sir 
Thomas More, lord chancellors ; Thomas, lord Cromwell ; Gardiner, bishop 
of Winchester ; Henry Howard, earl of Surry; Nicholas, lord Vaux ; John 
Bourchier, lord Berners ; George Boleyn, viscount Rochford ; John, lord 
Lundey ; Edward, lord Sheffield ; dean Collet. 



* Gustavus Vasa delivered Sweden from the Danish yoke ; and for his 
recompense was elected its independent sovereign. 



168 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
EDWARD VI. 

Bom 1537. Died July 6, 1553. Began to reign Jan. 29, 1547. Reigned 6£ years. 

1. (A. D. 1547.) Henry the Eighth was succeeded on 
the throne by his only son, Edward the Sixth, now in the 
ninth year of his age. The late king, in his will, which he 
expected would be implicitly obeyed, fixed the majority of 
the prince at the completion of his eighteenth year ; and, in 
the mean time, appointed sixteen executors of his will, to 
whom, during the minority, he intrusted the government of 
the king and kingdom : the duke of Somerset, as protector, 
being placed at their head. 

2. The protector, in his schemes for advancing the re- 
formation, had always recourse to the counsels of Cranmer, 
who, being a man of moderation and prudence, was averse 
to violent changes, and determined to bring over the people 
by insensible innovations to his own peculiar system. 

3. A committee of bishops and divines had been appointed 
by the council to frame a liturgy for the service of the 
church ; and this work was executed with great moderation, 
precision, and accuracy. A law was also enacted, permit- 
ting priests to marry ; the ceremony of auricular confession, 
though not abolished, was left at the discretion of the people, 
who were not displeased at being freed from the spiritual 
tyranny of their instructors ; the doctrine of the real pre- 
sence was the last tenet of popery that was wholly aban- 
doned by the people, as both the clergy and laity were loth 
to renounce so miraculous a benefit as it was asserted to be. 
4. However, at last, not only this, but all the principal 
opinions and practices of the catholic religion, contrary to 
what the Scripture authorizes, were abolished ; and the 
reformation, such as we have it, was almost entirely com- 
pleted in England. With all these innovations the people 
and clergy in general acquiesced ; and Gardiner and Bon- 
ner were the only persons whose opposition was thought of 
any weight ; they were, therefore, sent to the Tower, and 
threatened with the king's further displeasure in case of dis- 
obedience. A.D. 1548. 






EDWARD VI. 169 

5. For all these the protector gained great applause and 
popularity ; but he was raised to an enviable degree of 
eminence, and his enemies were numerous in proportion to 
his exaltation. Of all the ministers at that time in council, 
Dudley, earl of Warwick, was the most artful, ambitious, 
and unprincipled. Resolved, at any rate, to possess the 
principal place under the king, he cared not what means 
were to be used in acquiring it. However, unwilling to 
throw off the mask, he covered the most exorbitant views 
under the fairest appearances. Having associated himself 
with the earl of Southampton, he formed a strong party in 
the council, who were determined to free themselves from 
the control the protector assumed over them. That noble- 
man was, in fact, now grown obnoxious to a very prevailing 
party in the kingdom. 7. He was hated by the nobles for 
his superior magnificence and power ; he was hated by the 
catholic party for his regard to the reformation ; he was 
disliked by many for his severity to his brother ; besides, 
the great estate he had raised at the expense of the church 
and the crown rendered him obnoxious to all. The palace* 
which he was then building in the Strand served also, by 
its magnificence, and still more so by the unjust methods 
that were taken to raise it, to expose him to the censures of 
the public. The parish church of St. Mary, with three 
bishops' houses, were pulled down to furnish ground and 
materials for the structure. 

8. He was soon afterwards sent to the Tower ; and the 
chief article of which he was accused was his usurpation of 
the government, and taking all the power into his own 
hands ; but his great riches were the real cause. Several 
others of a slighter tint were added to invigorate this accu- 
sation, but none of them could be said to amount to high- 
treason. 9. In consequence of these, a bill of attainder was 
preferred against him in the house of lords : but Somerset 
contrived for this time to elude the rigour of their sentence, 
by having previously, on his knees, confessed the charge 
before the members of the council. 10. In consequence of 
this confession, he was deprived of all his offices and goods, 
together with a great part of his landed estates, which were 
forfeited to the use of the crown. This fine on his estate 
was soon after remitted by the king ; and Somerset, once 
more, contrary to the expectation of all, recovered his li- 

* Still called Somerset house. 
P 



170 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

berty. He was even readmitted into the council. Happy 
for him if his ambition had not revived with his security ! 

11. In fact, he could not help now and then bursting out 
into invectives against the kingand government, which were 
quickly carried to his secret enemy, the earl of Warwick, 
who was now become the duke of Northumberland. As he 
was surrounded with that nobleman's creatures, they took 
care to reveal all the designs which they had themselves 
first suggested ; and Somerset soon found the fatal effects of 
his rival's resentment. 12. He was, by Northumberland's 
command, arrested, with many more accused of being his 
partisans, and was, with his wife, the dutchess, also thrown 
into prison. He was now accused of having formed a 
design to raise an insurrection in the north ; of attacking 
the train-bands on a muster-day ; of plotting to secure the 
Tower, and to excite a rebellion in London. 

13. These charges he strenuously denied ; but he con- 
fessed one of as heinous a nature, which was, that he had 
laid a project for murdering Northumberland, Northampton, 
and Pembroke at a banquet, which was to be given them 
by lord Paget. He was soon after brought to trial before 
the marquis of Winchester, who sat as high-steward on the 
occasion, with twenty-seven peers more, including Northum- 
berland, Pembroke, and Northampton, who were at once 
his judges and accusers; and being found guilty, was 
brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill, where he appeared 
without the least emotion, in the midst of a vast concourse 
of the populace, by whom he was beloved. 14. He spoke 
to them with great composure, protesting that he had always 
promoted the service of his king, and the interests of true 
religion to the best of his power. The people attested their 
belief of what he said by crying out, " It is most true." An 
universal tumult was beginning to take place ; but Somerset 
desiring them to be still, and not interrupt his last medita- 
tions, but to join with him in prayer, he laid down his head, 
and submitted to the stroke of the executioner. 

15. In the mean time, Northumberland had long aimed 
at the first authority ; and the infirm state of the king's 
health opened alluring prospects to his ambition. He re- 
presented to that young prince that his sisters, Mary and 
Elizabeth, who were appointed by Henry's will to succeed 
in failure of direct heirs to the crown, had been declared ille- 
gitimate by parliament ; that the queen of Scots, his aunt, 
stood excluded by the king's will, and, being an alien also, 



EDWARD VI. 171 

lost all right of succeeding. 16. And, as the three princesses 
were thus legally excluded, the succession naturally devolved 
to the marchioness of Dorset, whose next heir was the lady 
Jane Grey, a lady every way accomplished for government, 
as well by the charms of her person as the virtues and ac- 
quirements of her mind. The king, who had long sub- 
mitted to all the politic views of this designing minister, 
agreed to have the succession admitted to council, where 
Northumberland had influence soon after to procure an easy 
concurrence. 

17. In the mean time, as the king's health declined, the 
minister laboured to strengthen his own interests and con- 
nexions. His first aim was to secure the interest of the 
marquis of Dorset, father to lady Jane Grey, by procuring 
for him the title of duke of Suffolk, which was lately become 
extinct. Having thus obliged this nobleman, he then pro- 
posed a match between his fourth son, lord Guildford Dud- 
ley and the lady Jane Grey. 18. Still bent on spreading 
his interests as widely as possible, he married his own 
daughter to Lord Hastings, and had these marriages solem- 
nized with all possible pomp and festivity. Meanwhile, 
Edward continued to languish, and several fatal symptoms 
of consumption began to appear. It was hoped, however, 
that his youth and temperance might get the better of his 
disorders ; and, from their love, the people were unwilling 
to think him in danger. 19. It had been remarked, indeed, 
by some, that his health was visibly seen to decline from 
the moment that the Dudleys were brought about his per- 
son. The character of Northumberland might have justly 
given some colour to suspicion ; and his removing all, ex- 
cept his own emissaries, from about the king, still farther 
increased the distrusts of the people. Northumberland, 
however, was no way uneasy at their murmurs ; he was as- 
siduous in his attendance upon the king, and professed the 
most anxious concern for his safety ; but still drove forward 
his darling scheme of transferring the succession to his own 
daughter-in-law. 

20. The young king was put into the hands of an igno- 
rant woman, who very confidently undertook his cure. 
After the use of her medicines, all the bad symptoms in- 
creased to a most violent degree ; he felt a difficulty of speech 
and breathing ; his pulse failed ; his legs swelled ; his colour 
became livid, and many other symptoms appeared of his 
approaching end. He expired at Greenwich, in the six- 



172 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




King Edward VI. refusing to place his foot on the Bible. 

teenth year of his age, and the seventh of his reign, greatly- 
regretted by all, as his early virtues gave a prospect of the 
continuance of a happy reign, July 6, 1553. 

An anecdote is related of this king to illustrate his piety 
and reverence for the Scriptures. When in his library, one 
day, being desirous to reach a book on a high shelf, he was 
offered a large Bible as a footstool. But he refused the 
offer, with strong expressions of disapprobation towards the 
attendant who had made it. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who succeeded Henry the Eighth ? 

Who was appointed protector during the king's minority ? 

2, 3. By what methods was the reformation begun and completed ? 

4. Who were sent to the Tower for their aversion to the reformation ? 

5. By whom was the protector opposed ? 

7. For what reasons was he universally disliked ? 

8. What was the chief article of accusation against him ? 

9. By what means did he elude the rigour of his sentence ? 

10. Did the protector regain his authority ? 

11. In what manner did he then conduct himself? 

12. By whose command was he afterwards arrested? 
Of what was he accused ? 

13. What confession did he make ? 

14. What was his behaviour when brought to the scaffold ? 

15. Who next aspired to the chief authority? 

16. 17. What means did he take to secure it ? 

18, 19. What circumstances preceded the king's death ? 
20. Where and at what age did Edward the Sixth die ? 



MARY. 173 

CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Paul III 1534 

Julius III 1550 

Emperor of Germany 

and King of Spain. 

Charles V 1547 



Emperor of the Turks. 

A.D. 

Soliman II 1520 

King of France. 
Henry II 1547 

King of Portugal. 
John III 1541 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



King of Denmark. 

a.d. 
Charles II 1534 

King of Sweden. 
Gustavus Vasa 1522 

Queen of Scotland. 
Mary 1542 



Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury. Heath and Day, bishops of Worcester 
and Chichester. Lord Seymour. Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland, 
Guildford, Lord Dudley. Lady Jane Grey. 



CHAPTER XXV. 
MARY. 



Born 1516. Died December I, 1553. Began to reignJuly 16, 1533. Reig?ied 
5 years. 

1. (A.D. 1553.) Upon the death of Edward, two candi- 
dates put in their pretensions to the crown ; Mary, Henry's 
daughter hy Catharine of Arragon, relying on the justice of 
her cause ; and lady Jane Grey, being nominated in the 
late young king's will, and upon the support of the duke of 
Northumberland, her father-in law. Mary was strongly bi- 
goted to the popish superstitions, having been bred up among 
churchmen, and having been even taught to prefer martyr- 
dom to a denial of her belief. 2. As she had lived in conti- 
nual restraint, she was reserved and gloomy ; she had, even 
during the life of her father, the resolution to maintain her 
sentiments, and refused to comply with his new institutions. 
Her zeal had rendered her furious ; and she was not only 
blindly attached to her religious opinions, but even to the 
popish clergy who maintained them. 3. On the other hand, 
Jane Grey was strongly attached to the reformers ; and, 
though yet but sixteen, her judgment had attained to such 
a degree of maturity as few have been found to possess. 
All historians agree that the solidity of her understanding, 
improved by continual application, rendered her the wonder 
of her age. Jane, who was in a great measure ignorant of 
i-2 



174 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

all the transactions in her favour, was struck with equal 
grief and surprise when she received intelligence of them. 
She shed a flood of tears, appeared inconsolable, and it was 
not without the utmost difficulty that she yielded to the en- 
treaties of Northumberland, and the duke her father. 4. 
Orders were given also for proclaiming her throughout the 
kingdom ; but these were but very remissly obeyed. When 
she was proclaimed in the city, the people heard her acces- 
sion made public without any signs of pleasure ; no applause 
ensued, and some even expressed their scorn and con- 
tempt. 

5. In the mean time, Mary, who had retired, upon the 
news of the king's death, to Kenning Hall, in Norfolk, sent 
circular letters to all the great towns and nobility in the 
kingdom, reminding them of her right, and commanding 
them to proclaim her without delay. Her claims soon be- 
came irresistible ; in a little time she found herself at the 
head of forty thousand men ; while the few who attended 
Northumberland continued irresolute, and he even feared to 
lead them to the encounter. 

6. Lady Jane, thus finding that all was lost, resigned her 
royalty, which she had held but ten days, with marks of 
real satisfaction, and retired with her mother to their own 
habitation. Northumberland, also, who found his affairs 
desperate, and that it was impossible to stem the tide of po- 
pular opposition, attempted to quit the kingdom ; but he was 
prevented by the band of pensioner guards, who informed 
him that he must stay to justify their conduct in being led 
out against their lawful sovereign. Thus circumvented on 
all sides, he delivered himself-up to Mary, and was soon af- 
terwards executed in a summary way. Sentence was also 
pronounced against lady Jane and lord Guildford, but with- 
out any intention for the present of putting it into execution. 

7. Mary now entered London, and with very little effu- 
sion of blood saw herself joyfully proclaimed, and peaceably 
settled on the throne. This was a flattering prospect ; but 
soon the pleasing phantom was dissolved. Mary was mo- 
rose, and a bigot ; she was resolved to give back their for- 
mer power to the clergy ; and thus once more to involve the 
kingdom in all the horrors from which it had just emerged. 
Gardiner, Tonstal, Day, Heath, and Vesey, who had been 
confined or suffered losses, for their catholic opinions, dur- 
ing the late reign, were taken from prison, reinstated in their 
sees, and their former sentences repealed. 



MARY. 175 

8. A parliament, which the queen called soon after, seem- 
ed willing to concur in all her measures ; they at one blow 
repealed all the statutes, with regard to religion, which had 
passed during the reign of her predecessors ; so thpt the na- 
tional religion was again placed on the same footingon which 
it stood in the early part of the reign of Henry the Eighth. 

9. While religion was thus returning to its primitive 
abuses, the queen's ministers, who were willing to strengthen 
her power by a catholic alliance, had been for some time 
looking out for a proper consort ; and they at length chose 
Philip, prince of Spain, son to the celebrated Charles the 
Fifth. In order to avoid any disagreeable remonstrance 
from the people, the articles of marriage were drawn as fa- 
vourable as possible to the interest and honour of England ; 
and this in some measure stilled the clamours that had already 
been begun against it. 

10. The discontents of the people rose to such a pitch, 
that an insurrection, headed by sir Thomas Wyat, suc- 
ceeded ; but Wyat, being made prisoner, was condemned 
and executed, with some of his adherents. But what ex- 
cited the compassion of the people most of all, was the 
execution of lady Jane Grey, and her husband, lord Guild- 
ford Dudley, who were involved in the punishment, though 
not in the guilt of this insurrection. 11. Two days after 
Wyat was apprehended, lady Jane and her husband were 
ordered to prepare for death. Lady Jane, who had long 
before seen the threatening blow, was no way surprised at 
the message, but bore it with heroic resolution ; and being 
informed that she had three days to prepare, she seemed 
displeased at so long a delay. 12. On the day of her exe- 
cution her husband desired permission to see her ; but this 
she refused, as she knew the parting would be too tender 
for her fortitude to withstand. The place at first designed 
for their execution was without the Tower : but their youth, 
beauty, and innocence being likely to raise an insurrection 
among the people, orders were given that they should be 
executed within the verge of the Tower. 13. Lord Dudley 
was the first that suffered ; and while the lady Jane was 
conducting to the place of execution, the officers of the 
Tower met her, bearing along the headless body of her 
husband streaming with blood, in order to be interred in 
the Tower chapel. She looked on the corpse for some time 
without any emotion: and then, with a sigh, desired them 



176 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Death of Lady Jane Grey. 



to proceed. 14. On the scaffold she made a speech, in 
which she alleged that her offence was not the having laid 
her hand upon the crown, but the not rejecting it with suf- 
ficient constancy; that she had less erred through ambition 
than filial obedience ; and she willingly accepted death as 
the only atonement she could make to the injured state ; 
and was ready by her punishment to show, that innocence 
is no plea in excuse for deeds that tend to injure the 
community. After speaking to this effect, she caused her- 
self to be disrobed by her women, and with a steady serene 
countenance submitted to the executioner. 

15. At the head of those who drove these violent mea- 
sures forward were Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, and 
cardinal Pole, who was now returned from Italy. Pole, 
who was nearly allied by birth to the royal family, had 
always conscientiously adhered to the catholic religion, and 
had incurred Henry's displeasure, not only by refusing to 
assent to his measures, but by writing against him. 16. It 
was for this adherence that he was cherished by the pope, 
and now sent over to England as legate from the holy see. 
Gardiner was a man of a very different character; his chief 
aim was to please the reigning prince, and he had shown 
already many instances of his prudent conformity. 



MARY. 177 

Questions for Examination. 

1. What were the pretensions of the two candidates for the crown? 

2. What was the character of Mary ? 

3. What is said of lady Jane Grey ? 

4. In what manner was her proclamation received ? 

5. How did Mary act, and what was her success ? 

6. What was the fate of the duke of Northumberland ? 

7. What was Mary's conduct after her accession? 

8. Did the parliament concur in her religious views ? 

9. What plan was resolved on to strengthen the catholic power ? 
11. What was the fate of lady Jane Grey and her hushand ? 

12 — 14. Mention the circumstances that attended their execution. 
15, 16. Who were the instigators of those violent measures? 



SECTION II. 



1. (A. D. 1554.) A persecution, therefore, began by 
the martyrdom of Hooper, bishop of Gloucester, and Rogers, 
prebendary of St. Paul's. They were examined by com- 
missioners appointed by the queen, with the chancellor at 
the head of them. Saunders and Taylor, two other clergy- 
men, whose zeal had been distinguished in carrying on the 
reformation, were the next that suffered. 

2. Bonner, bishop of London, bloated at once with rage 
and luxury, let loose his vengeance without restraint, and 
seemed to take a pleasure in the pains of the unhappy suf- 
ferers ; while the queen, by her letters, exhorted him to 
pursue the pious work without pity or interruption. Soon 
after, in obedience to her commands, Ridley, bishop of 
London, and the venerable Latimer, bishop of Worcester, 
were condemned together. 3. Ridley had been one of the 
ablest champions for the reformation ; his piety, learning, 
and solidity of judgment were admired by his friends and 
dreaded by his enemies. The night before his execution, 
he invited the mayor of Oxford and his wife to see him ; 
and, when he beheld them melted into tears, he himself 
appeared quite unmoved, inwardly supported and comforted 
in that hour of agony. When he was brought to the stake 
to be burnt, he found his old friend Latimer there before 
him. 4. Of all the prelates of that age, Latimer was the 
most remarkable for his unaffected piety, and the simplicity 
of his manners. He had never learnt to flatter in courts ; 
and his open rebuke was dreaded by all the great, who at 
that time too much deserved it. 5. His sermons, which 



178 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

remain to this day, show that he had much learning and 
much wit ; and there is an air of sincerity running through 
them, not to be found elsewhere. When Ridley began to 
comfort his ancient friend, Latimer was as ready, on his 
part, to return the kind office : " Be of good cheer, brother," 
cried he; " we shall this day kindle such a torch in Eng- 
land, as, I trust in God, shall never be extinguished." 6. A 
furious bigot ascended to preach to them and the people, 
while the fire was preparing; and Ridley gave a most 
serious attention to his discourse. No way distracted by 
the preparations about him, he heard him to the last, and 
then told him he was ready to answer all he had preached 
upon, if he were permitted a short indulgence ; but this was 
refused him. At length fire was set to the pile ; Latimer 
was soon out of pain : but Ridley continued to suffer much 
longer, his legs being consumed before the fire reached his 
vitals. 

7. Cranmer's death followed soon after, and struck the 
whole nation with horror. His love of life had formerly 
prevailed. In an unguarded moment he was induced to 
sign a paper condemning the reformation ; and now his 
enemies, as we are told of the devil, after having rendered 
him completely wretched, resolved to destroy him. 

8. Being led to the stake, and the fire beginning to be 
kindled round him, he stretched forth his right hand, and 
held it in the flames till it was consumed, while he fre- 
quently cried out, in the midst of his sufferings, " That 
unworthy hand !" at the same time exhibiting no appearance 
of pain or disorder. When the fire attacked his body, he 
seemed to be quite insensible to his tortures : his mind was 
wholly occupied upon the hopes of a future reward. After 
his body was destroyed, his heart was found entire ; an 
emblem of the constancy with which he suffered. 

9. It was computed that, during this persecution, two 
hundred and seventy-seven persons suffered by fire, besides 
those punished by imprisonment, fines, and confiscations. 
Among those who suffered by fire, were five bishops, 
twenty-one clergymen, eight lay gentlemen, eighty-four 
tradesmen, one hundred husbandmen, fifty-five women, and 
four children. All this was terrible ; and yet the temporal 
affairs of the kingdom did not seem to be more successful. 

10. (A. D. 1557.) Calais, that had now for above two 
hundred years been in possession of the English, was 
attacked, and by a sudden and unexpected assault, being 



MARY. 179 

blockaded up on every side, was obliged to capitulate ; so 
that in less than eight days, the duke of Guise recovered 
a city that had been in possession of the English since the 
time of Edward the Third, who had spent eleven months 
in besieging it. This loss filled the whole kingdom with 
murmurs, and the queen with despair; she was heard to 
say, that, when dead, the name of Calais would be found 
engraven upon her heart. 

11. These complicated evils, a murmuring people, an in- 
creasing heresy, a disdainful husband, and an unsuccessful 
war, made dreadful depredations on Mary's constitution. 
She began to appear consumptive, and this rendered her 
mind still more morose and bigoted. The people now, 
therefore, began to turn their thoughts to her successor ; 
and the princess Elizabeth came into a greater degree of 
consideration than before. 12. Mary had been long in a 
very declining state of health ; and having mistaken her 
dropsy for a pregnancy, she made use of an improper regi- 
men, which had increased her disorder. Every reflection 
now tormented her. The consciousness of being hated by 
her subjects, and the prospect of Elizabeth's succession, 
whom she hated, preyed upon her mind, and threw her into 
a lingering fever, of which she died, after a short and un- 
fortunate reign of five years, four months, and eleven days, 
in the forty-third year of her age. 



Questions for Examination. , 

1. Who were the first in this reign who suffered martyrdom for their re- 

ligion ? 

2. Who were the principal actors in this persecution? 

3. 4. Describe the behaviour and character of Ridley and Latimer. 

6. What words did Latimer make use of at the slake to his friend and 
fellow-sufferer? 

8. What is said of the character and death of Cranmer ? 

9. How many persons are said to have been burnt on account of their re- 

ligious tenets ? 

10. By what means was Calais obliged to capitulate ? 

11. What hastened Mary's death? 

12. How long did she reign ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Julius III 1550 

Marcellus II 1555 

PaulIV 1555 

Emperor of Germany. 
Charles V 1519 

Emperors of the Turks. 
Solimanll 1520 



King of Fiance. 

A.D. 

Henry II 1547 

King of Spain. 
Philip II 1555 

Kins: of Portugal. 
John III 1521 



King of Denmark. 

A.D. 

Frederic II 1549 

King of Sweden. 
Gustavus Vasa. . . 1522 

Queen of Scotland. 
Mary 1542 



180 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

EMINENT PERSONS. 

Archbishop Cranmer ; bishops Ridley, Hooper, Latimer, Ferrea, Rogers 
Saunders, Taylor, and many others of the clergy who suffered for their re- 
ligion. Cardinal Pole, bishops Gardiner, Bonner, Thirlby, &c. who were 
fiery supporters of the papal power.* Lord Stafford. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 
ELIZABETH. 



Born 1533. Died March 24, 1603. Began to reign November 7, 1558. Reigned 
44£ years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A. D. 1558.) Nothing could exceed the joy that was 
diffused among the people upon the accession of Elizabeth, 
who now came to the throne without any opposition. 

This favourite of the people, from the beginning, resolved 
upon reforming the church, even while she was held in the 
constraints of a prison ; and now, upon coming to the 
crown, she immediately set about it. A parliament soon 
after completed what the prerogative had begun ; act after 
act was passed in favour of the reformation ; and in a single 
session the form of religion was established as we at present 
have the happiness to enjoy it. 

2. A state of permanent felicity is not to be expected 
here ; and Mary Stuart, commonly called Mary queen of 
Scots, was the first person that excited the fears or the re- 
sentment of Elizabeth. Henry the Seventh had married 
his eldest daughter, Margaret, to James, king of Scotland, 
who dying, left no issue that came to maturity except Mary, 

* " The common net at that time for catching of protestants was the real 
presence, and this net was used to catch the princess Elizabeth ; for being 
asked one time, what she thought of the words of God, this is my body, 
whether she thought it the true body of Christ that was in the sacrament ? 
It is said, that after some pausing, she thus answered: — 

Christ was the word that spake it, 

He took the bread and brake it, 

And what that word did make it, 

That I believe and take it. 
Which, though it may seem but a slight expression, yet hath it more solidness 
than at first sight appears ; at least it served her turn at that time to escape 
the net, which by direct answer she could not have done." 






ELIZABETH. 181 

afterwards surnamed Mary queen of Scots. 3. At a very 
early age, this princess, being possessed of every accom- 
plishment of person and mind, was married to Francis, the 
dauphin of France, who, dying, left her a widow at the age 
of nineteen. Upon the death of Francis, Mary, the widow, 
still seemed disposed to keep up the title ; but, finding her- 
self exposed to the persecutions of the dowager-queen, who 
now began to take the lead in France, she returned home to 
Scotland, where she found the people strongly impressed 
with the gloomy enthusiasm of the times. 4. A difference 
of religion between the sovereign and the people is ever 
productive of bad effects ; since it is apt to produce con- 
tempt on the one side, and jealousy on the other. Mary 
could not avoid regarding the sour manners of the reforming 
clergy, who now bore the sway among the Scots, with a 
mixture of ridicule and hatred ; while they, on the other 
hand, could not look tamely on gayeties and levities which 
she introduced among them, without abhorrence and resent- 
ment. The jealousy thus excited began every day to grow 
stronger ; the clergy only waited for some indiscretion in 
the queen to fly out into open opposition ; and her impru- 
dence but too soon gave them sufficient opportunity. 

5. Mary, upon her return, had married the earl of Darn- 
ley ; but having been dazzled by the pleasing exterior of her 
new lover, she had entirely forgotten to look to the accom- 
plishments of his mind. Darnley was but a weak and igno- 
rant man ; violent, yet variable in his enterprises ; insolent, 
yet credulous, and easily governed by flatterers. She soon, 
therefore, began to convert her admiration into disgust: 
and Darnley, enraged at her increasing coldness, pointed his 
vengeance against every person he supposed the cause of 
this change in her sentiments and behaviour. 

6. There was then in the court one David Rizzio, the 
son of a musician at Turin, himself a musician, whom Mary 
took into her confidence. She consulted him on all occa- 
sions ; no favours could be obtained but by his intercession ; 
and all suitors were first obliged to gain Rizzio to their 
interests by presents or by flattery. 7. It was easy to 
persuade a man of Darnley's jealous and uxorious temper 
that Rizzio was the person who had estranged the queen's 
affections from him : and a surmise once conceived became 
to him a certainty. He soon, therefore, consulted with 
some lords of his party, who accompanying him into the 
queen's apartments, where Rizzio then was, they dragged 

Q 



182 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

him into the antechamber, where he was despatched with 
fifty-six wounds ; the unhappy princess continuing her la- 
mentations while they were perpetrating their horrid crime. 
8. Being informed, however, of his fate, Mary at once dried 
her tears, and said she would weep no more, for she would 
now think of revenge. She, therefore, concealed her resent- 
ment, and so far imposed upon Darnley, her husband, that 
he put himself under her protection, and soon after attended 
her to Edinburgh, where he was told the place would be 
favourable to his health. 

9. Mary lived in the palace of Holyrood-house ; but as 
the situation of that place was low, and the concourse of 
people about the court necessarily attended with noise, 
which might disturb him in his present infirm state, she 
fitted up an apartment for him in a solitary house at some 
distance, called the Kirk of Field. Mary there gave him 
marks of kindness and attachment; she conversed cordially 
with him, and she lay some nights in a room under him. 
10. It was on the 9th of February that she told him she 
would pass that night in the palace, because the marriage of 
one of her servants was to be there celebrated in her pre- 
sence. But dreadful consequences ensued. About two 
o'clock in the morning, the whole city was much alarmed 
at hearing a great noise ; the house in which Darnley lay 
was blown up with gunpowder. His dead body was found 
at some distance in a neighbouring field, but without any 
marks of violence or contusion. No doubt could be enter- 
tained but that Darnley was murdered, and the general sus- 
picion fell upon Bothwell, a person lately taken into Mary's 
favour, as the perpetrator. 

11. One crime led on to another ; Bothwell, though ac- 
cused of being stained with the husband's blood, though 
universally odious to the people, had the confidence, while 
Mary was on her way to Stirling, on a visit to her son, to 
seize her at the head of a body of eight hundred horse, and 
to carry her to Dunbar, where he forced her to yield to his 
purposes. 12. It was then thought by the people that the 
measure of his crimes was complete; and that he who was 
supposed to kill the queen's husband, and to have offered 
violence to her person, could expect no mercy : but they 
were astonished upon finding, instead of disgrace, that Both- 
well was taken into more than former favour ; and to crown 
all, that he was married to Mary, having divorced his own 
wife to procure his union. 



ELIZABETH. 183 

13. This was a fatal alliance to Mary; and the people 
were now wound up, by the complication of her guilt, to 
pay very little deference to her authority. An association 
was formed that took Mary prisoner, and sent her into con- 
finement to the castle of Lochlcvin, situated in a lake of that 
name, where she suffered all the severities of an unkind 
keeper, an upbraiding conscience, with a feeling heart. 

14. The calamities of the great, even though justly de- 
served, seldom fail of creating pity, and procuring friends. 
Mary, by her charms and promises, had engaged a young 
gentleman, whose name was George Douglas, to assist her 
in escaping from the place wherein she was confined ; and 
this he effected by conveying her in disguise in a small boat, 
rowed by himself, ashore. It was now that, the news of her 
enlargement being spread abroad, all the loyalty of the peo- 
ple seemed to revive once more, and in a few days she saw 
herself at the head of six thousand men. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What were the first acts of Elizabeth in favour of? 

2. Who was the first person that excited her resentment? 
From whom was Mary queen of Scots descended ? 

3. To whom was she first married ? 

4. Why is the difference of religion between the sovereign and the people 

apt to produce bad effects ? 

5. Describe the character of the earl of Darnley. 

6. Who was David Rizzio ? 

7. What was the fate of Rizzio? 

8. On what did Mary determine in consequence ? 

9. How did she affect to treat her husband ? 

10. Relate the circumstances of the earl of Darnley's death. 

13. Where was Mary confined ? 

14. By what means did she escape ? 



SECTION II 

1. (A. D. 1568.) A battle was fought at Langside, near 
Glasgow, which was entirely decisive against the queen of 
Scots ; and now, being totally ruined, she fled southward 
from the field of battle with great precipitation, and came 
with a few attendants to the borders of England, where she 
hoped for protection from Elizabeth, who, instead of pro- 
tecting, ordered her to be put in confinement, yet treated 
her with all proper marks of respect. 2. She was accord- 



184 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ingly sent to Tutbury -castle, in the county of Stafford, and 
put into the custody of the earl of Shrewsbury ; where she 
had hopes given her of one day coming into favour, and 
that, unless her own obstinacy prevented^ an accommodation 
might at last take place. 

3. The duke of Norfolk was the only peer who enjoyed 
the highest title of nobility in England ; and the qualities 
of his mind were correspondent to his high station. Bene- 
ficent, affable, and generous, he had acquired the affections 
of the people ; and yet, from his moderation, he had never 
alarmed the jealousy of the sovereign. He was at this 
time a widower, and being of a suitable age to espouse the 
queen of Scots, her own attractions, as well as his interest, 
made him desirous of the match. 4. Elizabeth, however, 
dreaded such an union, and the duke was soon after made 
prisoner, and sent to the Tower. Upon his releasement 
from thence, new projects were set on foot by the enemies 
of the queen and the reformed religion, secretly fomented 
by Rodolphi, an instrument of the court of Rome, and the 
bishop of Ross, Mary's minister in England. 5. It was 
concerted by them that Norfolk should renew his designs 
upon Mary, and raise her to the throne, to which it is pro- 
bable he was prompted by passion as well as interest ; and 
this nobleman entering into their schemes, he, from being at 
first only ambitious, now became criminal. His servants 
were brought to make a full confession of their master's 
guilt ; and the bishop of Ross, soon after finding the whole 
discovered, did not scruple to confirm their testimony. 6. 
The duke was instantly committed to the Tower, and or- 
dered to prepare for his trial. A jury of twenty-five peers 
unanimously passed sentence upon him; and the queen, 
four months after, reluctantly signed the warrant for his 
execution. He died with great calmness and constancy ; 
and, though he cleared himself of any disloyal intentions 
against the queen's authority, he acknowledged the justice 
of the sentence by which he suffered. 

7. These conspiracies served to prepare the way for 
Mary's ruin, whose greatest misfortunes proceeded rather 
from the violence of her friends than the malignity of her 
enemies. Elizabeth's ministers had long been waiting for 
some signal instance of the captive queen's enmity, which 
they could easily convert into treason ; and this was not 
long wanting. 8. About this time (A.D. 1586), one John 
Ballard, a popish priest, who had been bred in the English 



ELIZABETH. 185 

seminary at Rheims, resolved to compass the death of the 
queen, whom he considered as the enemy of his religion ; 
and with that gloomy resolution came over to England in 
the disguise of a soldier, with the assumed name of captain 
Fortescue. He bent his endeavours to bring about at once 
the project of an assassination, an insurrection, and an 
invasion. 9. The first person he addressed himself to was 
Anthony Babington, of Dethick, in the county of Derby, a 
young gentleman of good family, and possessed of a very 
plentiful fortune. This person had been long remarkable 
for his zeal in the catholic cause, and in particular for his 
attachment to the captive queen. He, therefore, came 
readily into the plot, and procured the concurrence and 
assistance of some other associates in this dangerous under- 
taking. 10. The next step was to apprize Mary of the 
conspiracy formed in her favour ; and this they effected 
by conveying their letters to her by the means of a brewer 
that supplied the family with ale, through a chink in the 
wall of her apartment. In these, Babington informed her 
of a design laid for a foreign invasion, the plan of an insur- 
rection at home, the scheme for her delivery, and the 
conspiracy for assassinating the usurper, by six noble 
gentlemen, as he termed them, all of them his private 
friends, who from the zeal which they bore the catholic 
cause, and her majesty's service, would undertake the 
tragical execution. 11. To these Mary replied, that she 
approved highly of the design ; that the gentlemen might 
expect all the rewards which it should ever be in her power 
to confer ; and that the death of Elizabeth was a necessary 
circumstance, previous to any further attempts, either for 
her delivery or the intended insurrection. 

12. The plot being thus ripe for execution, and the 
evidence against the conspirators incontestable, Walsing- 
ham, who was privately informed of all, resolved to suspend 
their punishment no longer. A warrant was accordingly 
issued out for the apprehension of Babington and the 
rest of the conspirators, who covered themselves with 
various disguises, and endeavoured to keep themselves 
concealed. But they were soon discovered, thrown into 
prison, and brought to trial. In their examination they 
contradicted each other, and the leaders were obliged to 
make a full confession of the truth. Fourteen were con- 
demned and executed ; seven of whom died acknowledging 
their crime. 

Q2 



186 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

13. The execution of these wretched men only prepared 
the way for one of still greater importance, in which a cap- 
tive queen was to submit to the unjust decision of those who 
had no right, but that of power, to condemn her. Accord- 
ingly a commission was issued to forty peers, with five 
judges, or the major part of them, to try and pass sentence 
upon Mary, daughter and heir of James the Fifth, king of 
Scotland, commonly called queen of Scots, and dowager of 
France. 14. Thirty-six of these commissioners arriving at 
the castle of Fotheringay on the 11th of November, 1586, 
presented her with a letter from Elizabeth, commanding her 
to submit to a trial for a late conspiracy. The principal 
charge against her was urged by serjeant Gaudy, who ac- 
cused her with knowing, approving, and consenting to 
Babington's conspiracy. This charge was supported by 
Babington's confession, and by the copies which were 
taken of their correspondence, in which her approbation of 
the queen's murder was expressly declared. 

15. Whatever might have been this queen's offences, it 
is certain that her treatment was very severe. She desired 
to be put in possession of such notes as she had taken pre- 
paratory to her trial ; but this was refused her. She de- 
manded a copy of her protest; but her request was not 
complied with. She even required an advocate to plead 
her cause against so many learned lawyers as had under- 
taken to urge her accusations ; but all her demands were 
rejected, and after an adjournment of some days, sentence 
of death was pronounced against her in the Star Chamber 
in Westminster, all the commissioners except two being 
present. 

Questions for Examination . 

1. Where did Mary fly after her defeat at Langside ? 

2. Where was she confined ? 

3. Descrihe the character of the duke of Norfolk. 

4. Of what was he desirous? 

5. What were the designs of the duke of Norfolk? 

6. What were the consequences ? 

8. What conspiracy was now formed in Mary's favour ? 
10. By what means was Mary informed of it? 
12. What was the fate of the conspirators ? 

14. What was the principal charge alleged against Mary ? 

15. What favours were refused her previous to her sentence ? 






ELIZABETH. 187 



SECTION III. 

1. (A. D. 1586.) Whether Elizabeth was really sincere 
in her apparent reluctance to execute Mary, is a question 
which, though usually given against her, I will not take 
upon me to determine. Certainly there were great arts 
used by her courtiers to incline her to the side of severity ; 
as they had every thing to fear from the resentment of 
Mary in case she ever succeeded to the throne. 2. Accord- 
ingly the kingdom was now filled with rumours of plots, 
treasons, and insurrections ; and the queen was continually 
kept in alarm by fictitious dangers. She, therefore, appeared 
to be in great terror and perplexity; she was observed to 
sit much alone, and mutter to herself half sentences, im- 
porting the difficulty and distress to which she was reduced. 
3. In this situation she one day called her secretary, Da- 
vison, whom she order to draw out secretly the warrant 
for Mary's execution, informing him that she intended keep- 
ing it by her, in case any attempt should be made for the 
delivery of that princess. She signed the warrant, and 
then commanded it to be carried to the chancellor, to have 
the seal affixed to it. 4. Next morning, however, she sent 
two gentlemen successively to desire that Davison would 
not go to the chancellor until she should see him : but 
Davison telling her that the warrant had been already 
sealed, she seemed displeased at his precipitation. Davison, 
who probably wished himself to see the sentence executed, 
laid the affair before the council, who unanimously resolved 
that the warrant should be immediately put in execution ; 
and promised to justify Davison to the queen. 5. Accord- 
ingly, the fatal instrument was delivered to Beale, who 
summoned the noblemen to whom it was directed ; namely, 
the earls of Shrewsbury, Derby, Kent, and Cumberland, and 
these together set out for Fotheringay-castle, accompanied 
by two executioners, to despatch their bloody commission. 
6. Mary heard of the arrival of her executioners, who 
ordered her to prepare for death at eight o'clock the next 
morning. Early on the fatal morning she dressed herself 
in a rich habit of silk and velvet, the only one which she 
had reserved for this solemn occasion. Thomas Andrews, 
the under-sheriff of the county, then entering the room, he 
informed her that the hour was come, and that he must 



188 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

attend her to the place of execution. 7. She replied that 
she was ready, and bidding her servants farewell, she pro- 
ceeded, supported by two of her guards, and followed the 
sheriff with a serene composed aspect, with a long veil of 
linen on her head, and in her hand a crucifix of ivory. 

8. She then passed into another hall, the noblemen and 
the sheriff going before, and Melvil, her master of the 
household, bearing up her train, where was a scaffold 
erected, and covered with black. As soon as she was 
seated, Beale began to read the warrant for her execution. 
Then Fletcher, dean of Peterborough, standing without the 
rails, repeated a long exhortation, which she desired him to 
forbear, as she was firmly resolved to die in the catholic 
religion. The room was crowded with spectators, who 
beheld her with pity and distress ; while her beauty, though 
dimmed by age and affliction, gleamed through her sufferings, 
and was still remarkable in this fatal moment. 9. The two 
executioners kneeling, and asking her pardon, she said she 
forgave them, and all the authors of her death, as freely as 
she hoped for forgiveness from her Maker ; and then once 
more made a solemn protestation of her innocence. Her 
eyes were then covered with a linen handkerchief; and she 
laid herself down without any fear or trepidation. Then 
reciting a psalm, and repeating a pious ejaculation, her head 
was severed from her body, at two strokes, by the execu- 
tioners. 

10. In contemplating the contentions of mankind, we 
find almost ever both sides culpable ; Mary, who was 
stained with crimes that deserved punishment, was put to 
death by a princess who had no just pretensions to inflict 
punishment on her equal. 

11. In the mean time, Philip, king of Spain, who had 
long meditated the destruction of England, and whose ex- 
tensive power gave him grounds to hope for success, now 
began to put his projects into execution. The point on 
which he rested his glory, and the perpetual object of his 
schemes, was to support the catholic religion, and exter- 
minate the reformation. The revolt of his subjects in the 
Netherlands still more inflamed his resentment against the 
English, as they had encouraged that insurrection, and as- 
sisted the revolters. He had, therefore, for some time been 
making preparations to attack England by a powerful in- 
vasion, and now every part of his vast empire resounded 
with the noise of armaments, and every art was used to 



ELIZABETH. 189 

levy supplies for that great design. 12. The marquis of 
Santa Cruz, a sea-officer of great reputation and experience, 
was destined to command the fleet, which consisted of a 
hundred and thirty vessels, of a greater size than any that 
had hitherto been seen in Europe. The duke of Parma 
was to conduct the land forces, twenty thousand of whom 
were on board the fleet, and thirty-four thousand more were 
assembled in the Netherlands, ready to be transported into 
England; no doubt was entertained of this fleet's success ; 
and it was ostentatiously styled the Invincible Armada. 

13. Nothing could exceed the terror and consternation 
which all ranks of people felt in England upon the news of 
this terrible armada being under sail to invade them. A 
fleet of not above thirty ships of war, and those very small 
in comparison, was all that was to oppose it at sea ; and as 
for resisting it by land, that was supposed to be impossible, 
as the Spanish army was composed of men well disciplined, 
and long inured to danger. 14. Although the English fleet 
was much inferior in number and size of shipping to that 
of the enemy, yet it was much more manageable, the dex- 
terity and courage of the mariners being greatly superior. 
Lord Howard of Effingham, a man of great courage and 
capacity, as lord admiral, took upon him the command of 
the navy. 15. Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, the most 
renowned seamen in Europe, served under him ; while a 
small squadron, consisting of forty vessels, English and 
Flemish, commanded by lord Seymour, lay off Dunkirk, in 
order to intercept the duke of Parma. This was the pre- 
paration made by the English ; while all the protestant 
powers in Europe regarded the enterprise as the critical 
event which was to decide for ever the fate of their religion. 



Questions for Examination. 

2. With what rumours was the kingdom filled? 

3. What orders did Elizabeth give to her secretary? 

5. To whom was the warrant of Mary's death delivered ? 

6, 7, 8. Relate the particulars of her execution. 
9. What was her behaviour at the fatal hour? 

11. Who now meditated the destruction of England ? 
What was the chief object of his schemes ? 

12. Who were his principal officers ? 

What was the amount of the Spanish forces? 

13. What was the number of the English ships ? 

14. Who commanded them? 

15. What other preparations were made by the English? 



190 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



SECTION IV. 



1. (A. D. 1588.) In the mean time, while the Spanish 
armada was preparing to sail, the admiral Santa Cruz died, 
as likewise the vice-admiral Palino ; and the command of 
the expedition was given to the duke de Medina Sidonia, a 
person utterly inexperienced in sea affairs ; and this, in 
some measure, served to frustrate the design. But some 
other accidents also contributed to its failure. 2. Upon 
leaving the port of Lisbon, the armada the next day met 
with a violent tempest, which sunk several of the smallest 
of their shipping, and obliged the fleet to put back into har- 
bour. After some time spent in refitting, they again put to 
sea ; where they took a fisherman, who gave them intelli- 
gence that the English fleet, hearing of the dispersion of 
the armada in a storm, had retired back into Plymouth har- 
bour, and most of the mariners were discharged. 3. From 
this false intelligence, the Spanish admiral, instead of going 
directly to the coast of Flanders, to take in the troops 
stationed there, as he had been instructed, resolved to sail for 
Plymouth, and destroy the shipping laid up in that harbour. 
But Effingham, the English admiral, was very well prepared 
to receive them ; he was just got out of port when he saw 
the Spanish armada coming full sail towards him, disposed 
in the form of a half moon, and stretching seven miles from 
one extremity to the other. 4. However, the English 
admiral, seconded by Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, 
attacked the armada at a distance, pouring in their broad- 
sides with admirable dexterity. They did not choose to en- 
gage the enemy more closely, because they were greatly 
inferior in the number of ships, guns, and weight of metal ; 
nor could they pretend to board such lofty ships without 
manifest disadvantage. However two Spanish galleons 
were disabled and taken. 5. As the armada advanced up 
the channel, the English still followed, and infested their 
rear; and their fleet continually increasing from different 
ports, they soon found themselves in a capacity to attack 
the Spanish fleet more nearly, and accordingly fell upon 
them while they were as yet taking shelter in the port of 
Calais. 6. To increase their confusion, Howard took 
eight of his smaller ships, and filling them with combustible 
materials, sent them, as if they had been fire-ships, one 



ELIZAFETH. 



191 



after the oilier, into the midst of the enemy. The Spaniards, 
taking them for what they seemed to be, immediately took 
flight, in great disorder ; while the English, profiting by 
their panic, took or destroyed about twelve of the enemy. 

7. This was a fatal blow to Spain; the duke de Medina 
Sidonia, being thus driven to the coast of Zealand, held a 
council of war, in which it was resolved, that, as their am- 
munition began to fail, as their ships had received great 
damage, and the duke of Parma had refused to venture his 
army under their protection, they should return to Spain 
by sailing round the Orkneys, as the winds were contrary 
to his passage directly back. 8. Accordingly they pro- 
ceeded northward, and were followed by the English fleet 
as far as Flamborough-head, where they were terribly shat- 
tered by a storm. Seventeen of the ships, having five 
thousand men on board, were afterwards cast away on the 
Western isles, and the coast of Ireland. Of the whole 
armada, three-and-fifty ships only returned to Spain, in a 
miserable condition ; and the seamen, as well as soldiers, 
who 'remained, only served by their accounts to intimidate 
their countrymen from attempting to renew so dangerous an 
expedition. 

9. From being invaded, the English, in their turn, attacked 
the Spaniards. Of those who made the most signal figure 
in the depredations upon Spain, was the young earl of Essex, 
a nobleman of great bravery, generosity, and genius; and 
fitted not only for the foremost ranks in war by his valour, 
but to conduct the intrigues of a court by his eloquence and 
address. 10. In all the masques which were then performed, 
the earl and Elizabeth were generally coupled as partners ; 
and although she was almost sixty, and he not half so old, 
yet her vanity overlooked the disparity ; the world told her 
she was young, and she herself was willing to think so. 
This young earl's interest in the queen's affections, as may 
naturally be supposed, promoted his interests in the state ; 
and he conducted all things at his discretion. 11. But, 
young and inexperienced as he was, he at length began to 
fancy that the popularity he possessed, and the flatteries he 
received, were given to his merits, and not to his favour. 
In a debate before the queen, between him and Burleigh, 
about the choice of a governor for Ireland, he was so heated 
in the argument, that he entirely forgot both the rules and 
duties of civility. 12. He turned his back on the queen in 
a contemptuous manner, which so provoked her resentment, 



192 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

that she instantly gave him a box on the ear. Instead of 
recollecting - himself, and making the submission due to her 
sex and station, he clapped his hand to his sword, and swore 
he would not bear such usage even from her father. This 
offence, though very great, was overlooked by the queen ; 
her partiality was so prevalent, that she reinstated him in 
her former favour, and her kindness seemed to have acquired 
new force from that short interruption of anger and resent- 
ment. 13. The death also of his rival, Lord Burleigh, 
which happened shortly after, seemed to confirm his power. 
At that time the earl of Tyrone headed the rebellious na- 
tives of Ireland ; who, not yet thoroughly brought into sub- 
jection by the English, took every opportunity to make 
incursions upon the more civilized inhabitants, and slew all 
they were able to overpower. 14. To subdue these was an 
employment that Essex thought worthy of his ambition ; 
nor were his enemies displeased at thus removing him from 
court, where he obstructed all their private aims of prefer- 
ment. But it ended in his ruin. Instead of attacking the 
enemy in their grand retreat in Ulster, he led his forces into 
the province of Munster, where he only exhausted his 
strength, and lost his opportunity against a people that sub- 
mitted at his approach, but took up arms when he retired. 
15. This issue of an enterprise, from which much was ex- 
pected, did not fail to provoke the queen most sensibly ; 
and her anger was still more heightened by the peevish and 
impatient letters which he daily wrote to her and the council. 
But her resentment against him was still more justly let 
loose, when she found, that, leaving the place of his appoint- 
ment, and without any permission demanded or obtained, 
he returned from Ireland, to make his complaints to herself 
in person. 

16. Though Elizabeth was justly offended, yet he soon 
won upon her temper to pardon him. He was now ordered 
to continue a prisoner in his own house till the queen's fur- 
ther pleasure should be known, and it is probable that the 
discretion of a few months might have reinstated him in all 
his former employments ; but the impetuosity of his cha- 
racter would not suffer him to wait for a slow redress of 
what he considered as wrongs : and the queen's refusing his 
request to continue him in possession of a lucrative mono- 
poly of sweet wines, which he had long enjoyed, spurred 
him on to the most violent and guilty measures. (A.D. 
1600.) 17. Having long built with fond credulity on his 



ELIZABETH. 193 

great popularity, he began to hope, from the assistance of 
the giddy multitude, that revenge upon his enemies in coun- 
cil, which he supposed was denied him from the throne. 
His greatest dependence was upon the professions of the 
citizens of London, whose schemes of religion and govern- 
ment he appeared entirely to approve ; and while he grati- 
fied the puritans, by railing at the government of the church, 
he pleased the envious, by exposing the faults of those in 
power. 18. Among other criminal projects, the result of 
blind rage and despair, it was resolved that sir Christopher 
Blount, one of his creatures, should, with a choice detach- 
ment, possess himself of the palace gates ; that sir John 
Davis should seize the hall ; sir Charles Danvers the guard- 
chamber ; while Essex himself should rush in from the 
Mews, attended by a body of his partisans, into the queen's 
presence, and entreat her to remove his and her enemies, to 
assemble a new parliament, and to correct the defects of the 
present administration. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. 2. What were the circumstances that contributed to retard the armada? 

4. Describe the gallant conduct of the English. 

7, 8. What were the consequences? 

9. What was the character of the earl of Essex ? 

12. How did he behave to the queen ? 

13. What expedition did he undertake? 

14. What was his success I 

15, 16. In what manner did he increase the queen's resentment? 

17. From whom did Essex expect assistance ? 

18. On what project did he afterwards resolve ? 



SECTION V. 

1. (A. D. 1601.) While Essex was deliberating upon 
the manner in which he should proceed, he received a pri- 
vate note, by which he was warned to provide for his own 
safety. He now, therefore, consulted with his friends, 
touching the emergency of their situation ; they were desti- 
tute of arms and ammunition, while the guards at the palace 
were doubled, so that any attack there would be fruitless. 
2. While he and his confidants were in consultation, a per- 
son, probably employed by his enemies, came in as a mes- 
senger from the citizens, with tenders of friendship and 

R 



194 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

assistance against all his adversaries. Wild as the project 
was of raising the city in the present terrible conjuncture, it 
was resolved on ; but the execution of it was delayed till 
the day following. 

8. Early in the morning of the next day, he was attended 
by his friends the earls of Rutland and Southampton, the 
lords Sandes, Parker, and Monteagle, with three hundred 
persons of distinction. The doors of Essex-house were im- 
mediately locked, to prevent all strangers from entering ; and 
the earl now discovered his scheme for raising the city more 
fully to all the conspirators. In the mean time, sir Walter 
Raleigh sending a message to Ferdinando Georges, this 
officer had a conference with him in a boat on the Thames, 
and there discovered all their proceedings. 4. The earl of 
Essex, who now saw that all was to be hazarded, resolved 
to leave his house, and to sally forth to make an insurrec- 
tion in the city. But he had made a very wrong estimate 
in expecting that popularity alone would aid him in time of 
danger ; he issued out with about two hundred followers, 
armed only with swords ; and in his passage to the city was 
joined by the earl of Bedford and lord Cromwell. 5. As 
he passed through the streets, he cried aloud, " For the 
queen ! for the queen ! a plot is laid for my life ;" hoping 
to engage the populace to rise ; but they had received orders 
from the mayor to keep within their houses; so that he was 
not joined by a single person. 6. In this manner, attended 
by a few of his followers, the rest having privately retired, 
he made towards the river ; and, taking a boat, arrived once 
more at Essex-house, where he began to make preparations 
for his defence. But his case was too desperate for any re- 
medy from valour ; wherefore, after demanding in vain for 
hostages and conditions from his besiegers, he surrendered 
at discretion, requesting only civil treatment and a fair and 
impartial hearing. 

7. Essex and Southampton were immediately carried to 
the archbishop's palace at Lambeth, from whence they were 
the next day conveyed to the Tower, and tried by the peers 
on the nineteenth of February following. Little could be 
urged in their defence ; their guilt was too flagrant ; and 
though it deserved pity, it could not meet an acquittal. 
Essex, after condemnation, was visited by that religious 
horror which seemed to attend him in all his disgraces. 
He was terrified almost to despair by the ghostly remon- 
strances of his own chaplain ; he was reconciled to his 






ELIZABETH. 



195 




Queen Elizabeth signing the death-warrant of Essex. 

enertiies, and made a full confession of his conspiracy. 
8. It is alleged upon this occasion, that he had strong hopes 
of pardon from the irresolution which the queen seemed to 
discover before she signed the warrant for his execution. 
She had given him formerly a ring, which she desired him 
to send her in any emergency of this nature, and that it 
should procure his safety and protection. This ring was 
actually sent by the countess of Nottingham, who, being a 
concealed enemy to the unfortunate earl, never delivered it ; 
while Elizabeth was secretly fired at his obstinacy in mak- 
ing no application for mercy or forgiveness. 9. The fact 
is, she appeared herself as much an object of pity as the 
unfortunate nobleman she was induced to condemn. She 
signed the warrant for his execution ; she countermanded 
it; she again resolved on his death, and again felt a new 
return of tenderness. At last she gave her consent to his 
execution, and was never seen to enjoy one happy day more. 
10. With the death of her favourite Essex, all Elizabeth's 
pleasures seemed to expire ; she afterwards went through 
the business of the state merely from habit, but her satisfac- 
tions were no more. Her distress was more than sufficient 
to destroy the remains of her constitution ; and her end was 
now visibly seen to approach. Her voice soon after left 
her; she fell into a lethargic slumber, which continued some 
hours ; and she expired gently, without a groan, in the 



196 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

seventieth year of her age, and the forty-fifth of her reign. 
11. Her character differed with her circumstances ; in the 
beginning she was moderate and humble ; towards the end 
of her reign haughty and severe. Though she was possess- 
ed of excellent sense, yet she never had the discernment to 
discover that she wanted beauty ; and to flatter her charms 
at the age of sixty-five was the surest road to her favour and 
esteem. 

12. But whatever were her personal defects, as a queen 
she is ever to be remembered by the English with gratitude. 
It is true, indeed, that she carried her prerogative in parlia- 
ment to its highest pitch, so that it was tacitly allowed in 
that assembly that she was above all laws, and could make 
and unmake them at pleasure ; yet still she was so wise and 
good as seldom to exert that power which she claimed, 
and to enforce few acts of her prerogative which were not 
for the benefit of her people. 13. It is true, in like manner, 
that the English, during her reign, were put in possession 
of no new or splendid acquisitions ; but commerce was daily 
growing up among them, and the people began to find that 
the theatre of their truest conquests was to be on the bosom 
of the ocean. A nation, which had hitherto been the object 
of every invasion, and a prey to every plunderer, now as- 
serted its strength in turn, and became terrible to its invad- 
ers. 14. The successful voyages of the Spaniards and Por- 
tuguese began to excite their emulation, and they planned 
several expeditions for discovering a shorter passage to the 
East Indies. The famous sir Walter Raleigh, without any 
assistance from government, colonized New England, while 
internal commerce was making equal improvements ; and 
many Flemings, persecuted in their native country, found, 
together with their arts and industry, an easy asylum in 
England. 15. Thus the whole island seemed as if roused 
from her long habits of barbarity ; arts, commerce, and le- 
gislation began to acquire new strength every day ; and 
such was the state of learning at that time, that some fixed 
that period as the Augustan age of England. Sir Walter 
Raleigh and Hooker are considered as among the first im- 
provers of our language. 16.. Spenser and Shakspeare are 
too well known as poets to be praised here ; but, of all man- 
kind, Francis Bacon, lord Vend. am, who flourished in this 
reign, deserves, as a philosopher, the highest applause ; his 
style is copious and correct, and his wit is only surpassed 
by his learning and penetration. 17. If we look through 



ELIZABETH. 197 

history, and consider the rise of kingdoms, we shall scarcely 
find an instance of a people becoming, in so short a time, 
wise, powerful, and happy. Liberty, it is true, still conti- 
nued to fluctuate ; Elizabeth knew her own power, and 
stretched it to the very verge of despotism ; but, now that 
commerce was introduced, liberty soon after followed ; for 
there never was a nation that was perfectly commercial that 
submitted long to slavery. 



Questions for Examination. 
1. What project did Essex resolve on for raising the city ? 
3, 4, 5. How did he proceed to effect this ? 
6, 7. What was the fate of Essex and Southampton ? 

8. What induced Essex to have hopes of pardon ? 

9. What was Elizabeth's conduct on this occasion ? 

10. Did Elizabeth long survive the death of her favourite ? 

11. What was her character? 

13. What was the political condition of England at the death of Elizabeth ? 

14. Did any important events take place during her reign ? 

15. What was the state of learning ? and what eminent men flourished at this 

time ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 



Paul TV 1555 

Pius IV 1559 

Pius V 1565 

Gregory XIII 1572 

SextusV 1585 

Urban VII 1590 

Gregory XIV 1590 

Innocent IX 1591 

Clement VIII 1592 

Emperors of Germany. 

Ferdinand 1 1558 

Maximilian II 1564 

Rodolphus II 1576 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Solimanll 1520 



A.D. 

Selim II 1566 

Amurathlll 1574 

Mahomet III 1595 

Kings of France. 

Henry II 1547 

Francis II 1559 

Charles IX 1560 

Henry III 1574 

Henry IV 1589 

King of Spain. 
Philip II 1555 

Kings of Portugal. 

Sebastian 1557 

Henry 1579 



Union of Spain and 
Portugal. 

A.D. 

Philip II 1580 

Philip III 1597 

Kings of Denmark. 

Christian IV 1558 

Frederick II 1559 

Kings of Sweden. 

EricX 1556 

John III 1569 

Sigismund 1592 

Queen and King cyf 
Scotland. 

Mary 1542 

James VI 1567 



EMINENT PERSONS. 

Shakspeare. Spenser. Bacon. Sir Philip Sidney. Sir Walter Raleigh. 
Sir Francis Drake. Lord Howard of Effingham. Cecil, lord Burleigh. Ro- 
bert Dudley, earl of Leicester. Sir Martin Frobisher. Sir John Hawkins, 
&c. &c. 



r2 



198 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 
JAMES I. 

Born 1566. Died March 27, 1625. Began to reign March 24, 1603. Reigned 22 
years over Great Britain, 58 years (nearly) over Scotland. 

1. (A.D. 1603.) James the Sixth of Scotland, and the 
First of England, the son of Mary, came to the throne with 
the universal approbation of all orders of the state, as in his 
person were united every claim that either descent, bequest, 
or parliamentary sanction could confer. However, in the 
very beginning of his reign, a conspiracy was set on foot, 
the particulars of which are but obscurely related. 2. It is 
said to have been begun by lord Grey, lord Cobham, and 
sir Walter Raleigh, who were all condemned to die, but had 
their sentence mitigated by the king. Cobham and Grey 
were pardoned after they had laid their heads on the block. 
Raleigh was reprieved, but remained in confinement many 
years afterwards, and at last suffered for his offence, which 
was never proved. 

3. Mild as this monarch w r as in toleration, there was a 
project contrived in the very beginning of his reign for the 
re-establishment of popery, which, were it not a fact known 
to all the world, could scarcely be credited by posterity. 
This was the gunpowder plot, than which a more horrid or 
terrible scheme never entered into the human heart to con- 
ceive. 

4. The Roman catholics had expected great favour and 
indulgence on the accession of James, both as a descendant 
of Mary, a rigid catholic, and also as having shown some 
partiality to that religion in his youth ; but they soon disco- 
vered their mistake, and were at once surprised and enraged 
to find James, on all occasions, express his resolution of 
strictly exercising the laws enacted against them, and of per- 
severing in the conduct of his predecessor. This declaration 
determined them upon more desperate measures ; and they 
at length formed a resolution of destroying the king and 
both houses of parliament at a blow. The scheme was first 
broached by Robert Catesby, a gentleman of good parts and 
ancient family ; who conceived that a train of gunpowder 



JAMES I. 199 

might be so placed under the parliament-house as to blow 
up the king and all the members at once. 

6. How horrid soever the contrivance might appear, yet 
every member seemed faithful and secret in the league ; and 
about two months before the sitting of parliament, they hired 
a house, in the name of Percy, adjoining to that in which 
the parliament was to assemble. 7. Their first intention 
was to bore a way under the parliament-house from that 
which they occupied, and they set themselves labouring at 
the task ; but when they had pierced the wall, which was 
three yards in thickness, on approaching the other side, they 
were surprised to find that the house was vaulted underneath, 
and that a magazine of coals was usually deposited there. 
8. From their disappointment on this account they were 
soon relieved, by information that the coals were then sell- 
ing off, and that the vaults would then be let to the highest 
bidder. They therefore seized the opportunity of hiring 
the place, and bought the remaining quantity of coals with 
which it was then stored, as if for their own use. 9. The 
next- thing done was to convey thither thirty-six barrels of 
gunpowder, which had been purchased in Holland ; and the 
whole was covered with coals and fagots, bought for that 
purpose. Then the doors of the cellar were boldly thrown 
open, and everybody admitted as if it contained nothing 
dangerous. 

10. Confident of success, they now began to plan the re- 
maining part of their project. The king, queen, and prince 
Henry, the king's eldest son, were all expected to be present 
at the opening of the parliament. The king's second son, 
by reason of his tender age, would be absent, and it was 
resolved that Percy should seize or assassinate him. The 
princess Elizabeth, a child likewise, was kept at lord Har- 
rington's house in Warwickshire ; and sir Everard Digby 
was to seize her, and immediately proclaim her queen. 

11. The day for the sitting of parliament now approached. 
Never was treason more secret, or ruin more apparently in- 
evitable : the hour was expected with impatience, and the 
conspirators gloried in their meditated guilt. The dreadful 
secret, though communicated to above twenty persons, had 
been inviolably kept during the space of a year and a half. 
When all the motives of pity, justice, and safety were too 
weak, a remorse of private friendship saved the kingdom. 

12. Sir Henry Percy, one of the conspirators, conceived 
a design of saving the life of lord Mounteagle, his intimate 



200 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

friend and companion, who also was of the same persuasion 
with himself. About ten days before the meeting of parlia- 
ment, this nobleman, upon his return to town, received a 
letter from a person unknown, and delivered by one who 
fled as soon as he had discharged his message. 13. The 
letter was to this effect : " My lord, stay away from this 
parliament ; for God and man have concurred to punish the 
wickedness of the times. And think not slightly of this 
advertisement, but retire yourself into your country, where 
you may expect the event in safety. For though there be 
no appearance of any stir, yet I say they will receive a ter- 
rible blow this parliament ; and yet they shall not see who 
hurts them. This counsel is not to be condemned, because 
it may do you good, and can do you no harm. For the 
danger is past as soon as you have burned the letter." 

14. The contents of this mysterious letter surprised and 
puzzled the nobleman to whom it was addressed ; and, 
though inclined to think it a foolish attempt to affright and 
ridicule him, yet he judged it safest to carry it to lord Salis- 
bury, secretary of state. 15. Lord Salisbury, too, was in- 
clined to give little attention to it, yet thought proper to lay 
it before the king in council, who came to town a few days 
after. None of the council were able to make any thing of 
it, although it appeared serious and alarming. In the uni- 
versal agitation between doubt and apprehension, the king 
was the first who penetrated the meaning of this dark epistle. 
16. He concluded that some sudden danger was preparing 
by gunpowder ; and it was thought advisable to inspect all 
the vaults below the houses of parliament. This care be- 
longed to the earl of Suffolk, lord chamberlain, who pur- 
posely delayed the search till the day before the meeting of 
parliament, November 5, 1605. He remarked those great 
piles of fagots which lay in the vault under the house of 
peers, and seized a man preparing for the terrible enterprise, 
dressed in a cloak and boots, with a dark lantern in his 
hand. 17. This was no other than Guy Fawkes, who had 
just deposited every part of the train for its taking fire the 
next morning, the matches and other combustibles being 
found in his pockets. The whole design was now disco- 
vered ; but the atrociousness of his guilt, and the despair of 
pardon, inspiring him with resolution, he told the officers of 
justice, with an undaunted air, that, had he blown them and 
himself up together, he had been happy. Before the coun- 
cil he displayed the same intrepid firmness, mixed even with 



201 




Seizure of Guy Fawkes. 

scorn and disdain, refusing to discover his associates, and 
showing no concern but for the failure of his enterprise. But 
his bold spirit was at length subdued ; being confined in the 
Tower for two or three days, and the rack just shown him, 
his courage, fatigued with so long an effort, at last failed 
him, and he made a full discovery of all his accomplices. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who succeeded Elizabeth? 

2. What conspiracy was set on foot at the commencement of this reign ? 

3. What project was contrived for the re-establishment of popery ? 
5. By whom was it first broached ? 

6 — 9. In what manner was the project endeavoured to be carried into effect ? 

10. Who were expected to be present at the opening of parliament ? 

11. Tp how many persons had the plot been revealed ? 

12. What circumstance saved the kingdom ? 

13. What were the contents of Percy's letter? 

15. Who was the first to discover the meaning of the letter? 

16. Can you relate the measures taken to prevent the apprehended danger ? 

17. What was the name of the person engaged in this enterprise? and what 

was his conduct on being discovered ? 



SECTION IT. 

1. (A.D. 1605.) Catesby, Percy, and the conspirators 
who were in London, hearing that Fawkes was arrested, 
fled with all speed to Warwickshire, where sir Everard 



202 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Digby, relying on the success of the plot, was already in 
arms. But the country soon began to take the alarm, and 
wherever they turned, they found a superior force ready to 
oppose them. 2. In this exigence, beset on all sides, they 
resolved, to the number of about eighty persons, to fly no 
further, but to make a stand at a house in Warwickshire, to 
defend it to the last, and sell their lives as dearly as possible. 
But even this miserable consolation was denied them ; a 
spark of fire happening to fall among some gunpowder that 
was laid to dry, it blew up, and so maimed the principal 
conspirators, that the survivors resolved to open the gate, 
and sally out against the multitude that surrounded the house. 
3. Some were instantly cut to pieces ; Catesby, Percy, and 
Winter, standing back to back, fought long and desperately, 
till in the end the two first fell covered with wounds, and 
Winter was taken alive. Those that survived the slaughter 
were tried and convicted ; several fell by the hands of the 
executioner, and others experienced the king's mercy. The 
Jesuits, Garnet and Oldcorn, who were privy to the plot, 
suffered with the rest, and, notwithstanding the atrociousness 
of their treason, Garnet was considered by his party as a 
martyr, and miracles were said to have been wrought by his 
blood. 

4. The sagacity with which the king first discovered the 
plot raised the opinion of his wisdom among the people ; 
but the folly with which he gave himself up to his favour- 
ites quickly undeceived the nation. A.D. 1012. In the 
first rank of these stood Robert Carr, a youth of a good 
family in Scotland, who, after having passed some time in 
his travels, arrived in London, at about twenty years of age. 
All his natural accomplishments consisted in a pleasing vi- 
sage ; and all his acquired abilities in an easy and graceful 
demeanour. 

5. This youth was considered as a most rising man at 
court , he was knighted, created viscount Rochester, ho- 
noured with the order of the garter, made a privy counsellor, 
and to raise him to the highest pitch of honour, he was at 
last created earl of Somerset. 

6. This was an advancement which some regarded with 
envy ; but the wiser part of mankind looked upon it with 
contempt and ridicule, sensible that ungrounded attachments 
are seldom of long continuance. Some time after, being 
accused and convicted, from private motives, of poisoning 
sir Thomas Overbury in the Tower, he fell under the king's 



JAMES I. 203 

displeasure : and being driven from court, spent the remain- 
der of his life in contempt and self-conviction. 

7. But the king had not been so improvident as to part 
with one favourite until he had provided himself with an- 
other. This was George Villiers, a youth of one-and-twenty, 
the younger brother of a good family, who was returned 
about that time from his travels, and whom the enemies of 
Somerset had taken occasion to throw in the king's way, 
certain that his beauty and fashionable manners would do 
the rest. 8. Accordingly he had been placed at a comedy 
full in the king's view, and immediately caught the monarch's 
affections. In the course of a few years, he was created 
viscount Villiers, earl, marquis, and duke of Buckingham, 
knight of the garter, master of the horse, chief justice in 
eyre, warden of the cinque ports, master of the king's bench 
office, steward of Westminster, constable of Windsor, and 
lord high admiral of England. 

9. The universal murmur which these foolish attachments 
produced was soon after heightened by an act of severity, 
which still continues as the blackest stain upon this mo- 
narch's memory. The brave and learned Raleigh had been 
confined in the Tower, almost from the very beginning of 
James's accession, for a conspiracy which had never been 
proved against him ; and in that abode of wretchedness he 
wrote several valuable performances, which are still in the 
highest esteem. 10. His long sufferings, and his ingenious 
writings, had now turned the tide of popular opinion in his 
favour ; and they who once detested the enemy of Essex, 
could not now help pitying the captivity of this philosophi- 
cal soldier. He himself still struggled for freedom ; and 
perhaps it was with this desire that he spread the report of 
his having discovered a gold mine in Guiana, which was 
sufficient to enrich not only the adventurers who should 
seize it, but afford immense treasures to the nation. 11. 
The king, either believing his assertions, or willing to subject 
him to further disgrace, granted him a commission to try his 
fortune in quest of these golden schemes ; but still reserved 
his former sentence as a check upon his future behaviour. 

12. Raleigh was not long in making preparations for this 
adventure, which, from-ahe sanguine manner in which he 
carried it on, many thought he believed to be as promising 
as he described it. He bent his course to Guiana, and re- 
maining himself at the mouth of the river Oronooko with 
five of the largest ships, he sent the rest up the stream, under 



204 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the command of his son, and captain Kemmis, a person en- 
tirely devoted to his interest. 13. But instead of a country- 
abounding in gold, as the adventurers were taught to expect, 
they found the Spaniards had been warned of their approach, 
and were prepared in arms to receive them. Young Ra- 
leigh, to encourage his men, called out that " was the true 
mine," meaning the town of St. Thomas, which he was ap- 
proaching ; " and that none but fools looked for any other ;" 
out just as he was speaking he received a shot, of which he 
immediately expired. This was followed by another dis- 
appointment ; for when the English took possession of the 
town, they found nothing in it of any value. 

14. Raleigh, in this forlorn situation, found now that all 
his hopes were over ; and saw his misfortunes still farther 
aggravated by the reproaches of those whom he had under- 
taken to command. Nothing could be more deplorable than 
his situation, particularly when he was told that he must be 
carried back to England, to answer for his conduct to the 
king. 15. It is pretended that he employed many artifices, 
first to engage them to attack the Spanish settlements at a 
time of peace, and, failing of that, to make his escape into 
France. But all of those proving unsuccessful, he was de- 
livered into the king's hands, and strictly examined, as well 
as his fellow-adventurers, before the privy council. Count 
Gondemar, the Spanish ambassador, made heavy complaints 
against the expedition ; and the king declared that Raleigh 
had express orders to avoid all disputes and hostilities 
against the Spaniards. 16. Wherefore, to give the court of 
Spain a particular instance of his attachment, he signed the 
warrant for his execution ; not for the present offence, but 
for his former conspiracy. This great man died with the 
same fortitude he had testified through life ; he observed, 
as he felt the edge of the axe, that it was a sharp but a sure 
remedy for all evils; his harangue to the people was calm 
and eloquent ; and he laid his head down on the block with 
the utmost indifference. 



Questions for Examination. 
1. What measures were taken by the principal conspirators? 

3. What was their fate ? 

4. Who was king James's first favourite ? 

6. How did Somerset fall under the king's displeasure ? 

7. Who was the king's next favourite ? 

8. What honours did he confer on him ? 

9. For what was sir Walter Raleigh confined in the Tower ? 






205 



10. What report did Raleigh spread ? 
12—15. Mention the particulars relating to this expedition. 
16. What was the fate of this great man ? 
What was his behaviour at his execution ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A.D. 1618.) But there soon appeared very appa- 
rent reasons for James's partiality to the court of Spain. 
This monarch had entertained an opinion which was pecu- 
liar to himself, that in marrying his son Charles, the prince 
of Wales, any alliance below that of royalty would be un- 
worthy of him : he, therefore, was obliged to seek, either 
in the court of France or Spain, a suitable match, and he 
was taught to think of the latter. 2. Gondemar, who was 
an ambassador from the court, perceiving this weak mo- 
narch's partiality to a crowned head, made an offer of the 
secdnd daughter of Spain to prince Charles ; and that he 
might render the temptation irresistible, he gave hopes of an 
immense fortune which should attend the princess. How- 
ever, this was a negotiation which was not likely soon to 
be ended ; and from the time the idea was first started, James 
saw five years elapse without bringing the treaty to any kind 
of conclusion. 

3. A delay of this kind was very displeasing to the king, 
who had all along an eye on the great fortune of the prin- 
cess ; nor was it less disagreeable to prince Charles, who, 
bred up with the ideas of romantic passion, was in love 
without ever seeing the object of his affections. In this 
general tedium of delay, a project entered the head of Vil- 
liers, who had for some years ruled the king with absolute 
authority, that was fitter to be conceived by the knight of a 
romance than by a minister and a statesman. 4. It was 
projected that the prince should himself travel in disguise 
into Spain, and visit the princess of that country in person. 
Buckingham, who wanted to ingratiate himself with the 
prince, offered to be his companion ; and the king, whose 
business it was to check so wild a scheme, gave his consent 
to this hopeful proposal. 5. Their adventures on this 
strange project would fill novels ; and have actually been 
made die subject of many. Charles was the knight-errant, 
and Buckingham was the squire. The match, however, 

S 



206 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

broke off, for what reason historians do not assign ; but, if 
we may credit the novelists of that time, the prince had al- 
ready fixed his affections upon the daughter of Henry IV. 
of France, whom he married shortly after. 

6. It may be easily supposed that these mismanagements 
were seen and felt by the people. The house of commons 
was become by this time quite unmanagable ; the prodigality 
of James to his favourites had made his necessities so many, 
that he was contented to sell the different branches of his 
prerogative to the commons, one after the other, to procure 
supplies. In proportion as they perceived his wants, they 
found out new grievances ; and every grant of money was 
sure to come with a petition for redress. The struggles be- 
tween him and the parliament had been growing more and 
more violent every session ; and the very last advanced their 
pretensions to such a degree, that he began to take the 
alarm : but these evils, which the weakness of this monarch 
had contributed to give birth to, fell upon his successor. 

7. These domestic troubles were attended by others still 
more important in Germany, and which produced in the end 
most dangerous effects. The king's eldest daughter had 
been married to Frederic, the elector palatine of Germany ; 
and this prince, revolting against the emperor Ferdinand the 
Second, was defeated in a decisive battle, and obliged to take 
refuge in Holland. 8. His affinity to the English crown, 
his misfortunes, but particularly the protestant religion, for 
which he had contended, were strong motives to the people 
of England to wish well to his cause ; and frequent ad- 
dresses were sent from the commons to induce James to take 
a part in the German contest, and to replace the exiled 
prince upon the throne of his ancestors. 9. James at first 
attempted to ward off the misfortunes of his son-in-law by 
negotiation, A.D. 1620 ; but this proving utterly ineffectual, 
it was at last resolved to rescue the palatinate from the empe- 
ror by force of arms. Accordingly, war was declared 
against Spain and the emperor ; six thousand men were 
sent over into Holland, to assist prince Maurice in his 
schemes against those powers ; the people were every- 
where elated at the courage of their king, and were satisfied 
with any war which was to exterminate the papists. 10. 
This army was followed by another, consisting of twelve 
thousand men, commanded by count Mansfeldt ; and the 
court of France promised its assistance. But the English 
were disappointed in all their views ; the troops being em- 



JAMES I. 



207 



barked at Dover, upon sailing to Calais they found no orders 
for their admission. After waiting in vain for some time, 
they were obliged to sail towards Zealand, where no proper 
measures were yet concerted for their disembarkation. 11. 
Meanwhile a pestilential disease crept in among the forces, 
so long cooped up in narrow vessels ; half the army died 
while on board ; and the other half, weakened by sickness, 
appeared too small a body to march into the palatinate ; and 
thus ended this ill-concerted and fruitless expedition. 

12. Whether this misfortune had any effect upon James's 
constitution is uncertain ; but he was soon after seized with 
a tertian ague, which when his courtiers assured him from 
the proverb that it was health for a king, he replied, that the 
proverb was made for a young king. A.D. 1625. After 
some fits he found himself extremely weakened, and sent 
for the prince, whom he exhorted to persevere in the pro- 
testant religion ; then, preparing with decency and courage 
to meet his end, he expired, after a reign over England of 
twenty-two years, and in the fifty-ninth year of his age. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What were the reasons for James's partiality to Spain ? 

2. What offer was made by the Spanish ambassador ? 

4. What project was formed by Villiers, and by whom was it undertaken ? 

5. What was its success ? 

6. How did the house of commons act towards James? 

7 — 11. Relate the circumstances that occurred in Germany. 
12. In what manner did the king conduct himself previously to his death? 
How long did he reign ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Clement VIII 1592 

Leo XI 1605 

Paul III 1605 

Gregory XV 1621 

Urban VIII 1623 

Emperors of German y. 

Rotlolphus II 1576 

Matthias 1 1612 

Ferdinand II 1619 



Emperor of the Turks. 

A.D. 

Achmetl 1603 

Mustapha 1 1617 

Osman 1 1618 

Mustapha I. restor- 
ed 1622 

AmurathlV 1623 

Kings of France. 

Henry IV 1589 

Louis XIII 1610 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of Spain and 
Portugal. a.d. 

Philip III 1597 

PhilipIV 1621 

King of Denmark. 
Christian IV 1588 

Kings of Sweden. 

Sigismund 1592 

Charles IX 1606 

GustavusII 1611 



Henry, prince of Wales. Carr, earl of Somerset. Villiers, duke of Buck- 
ingham. Lord chancellor Bacon. William Shakspeare. Sir Walter Ra- 
leigh. Sir Hugh Middleton. Lord chancellor Maitland. VV. A. earl of. 
Stirling. Sir M. Kerr, earl of Ancram. J. Hamilton, earl of Haddington 
James, duke of Hamilton. Henry Carey, lord Falkland. G. Calvert, lord 



208 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Baltimore. Robert Cnrey, earl of Monmonth. Sir M. Cecil, earl of Salisbury. 
Henry Howard, earl of Northampton. Lord chancellor Ellesmere. Sir 
Fulke Greville, lord Brooke. G. Carevv, earl of Totnes. W. Herbert, earl 
of Pembroke. Sir Dudley Carleton, viscount Dorchester. E. Cecil, viscount 
Wimbledon, &c. &c. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

CHARLES I. 

Born 1600. Died January SO, 1G49. Began to reign March 27, 1625. 
Reigned 23f years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1625.) Few princes ever ascended the throne 
with more apparent advantages than Charles ; and none ever 
encountered more real difficulties. Indeed, he undertook 
the reins of government with a fixed persuasion that his 
popularity was sufficient to carry every measure. 2. He 
had been loaded with a treaty for defending the prince 
palatine, his brother-in-law, in the last reign : and the war 
declared for that purpose was to be carried on with vigour 
in this. But war was more easily declared than supplies 
granted. After some reluctance, the commons voted him 
two subsidies; a sum far from being sufficient to support 
him in his intended equipment. 

3. To supply the want of parliamentary aid, Charles had 
recourse to some of the ancient methods of extortion, prac- 
tised by sovereigns when in necessitous circumstances. 
That kind of tax called a benevolence was ordered to be 
exacted, and privy seals were issued accordingly. With 
this the people were obliged, though reluctantly, to comply; 
it was in fact authorized by many precedents ; but no pre- 
cedent whatsoever could give a sanction to injustice. 

4. After an ineffectual expedition to Cadiz, another at- 
tempt was made to obtain supplies in a more regular and 
constitutional manner than before. Another parliament was 
accordingly called ; and though some steps were taken to 
exclude the more popular leaders of the last house of com- 
mons, by nominating them as sheriffs of counties, yet the 
present parliament seemed more refractory than the former. 



CHARLES I. 209 

5. When the king laid before the house his necessities, and 
asked for a supply, they voted him only three subsidies, 
which amounted to about sixty thousand pounds ; a sum no 
way adequate to the importance of the war, or the necessities 
of the state. In order, therefore, to gain a sufficient supply, 
a commission was openly granted to compound with the 
catholics, and agree for a dispensation of the penal laws 
against them. He borrowed a sum of money from the no- 
bility, whose contributions came in but slowly. 6. But the 
greatest stretch of his power was in the levying of ship- 
money. In order to equip a fleet (at least this was the 
pretence made), each of the maritime towns was required, 
with the assistance of the adjacent counties, to arm as many 
vessels as were appointed them. The city of London was 
rated at twenty ships. This was the commencement of a 
tax, which afterwards, being carried to such violent lengths, 
created such discontents in the nation. 

7. War being soon after declared against France, a fleet 
was sent out, under the command of Buckingham, to relieve 
Rochelle, a maritime town in that kingdom, that had long 
enjoyed its privileges, independent of the French king ; but 
that had for some time embraced the reformed religion, and 
now was besieged with a formidable army. This expedition 
was as unfortunate as that to the coast of Spain. 8. The 
duke's measures were so ill concerted, that the inhabitants 
of the city shut their gates, and refused to admit allies, of 
whose coming they were not previously informed. Instead 
of attacking the island of Oleron, which was fertile and de- 
fenceless, he bent his course to the isle of Rhe, which was 
garrisoned and well fortified. He attempted there to starve 
out the garrison of St. Martin's castle, which was plentifully 
supplied with provisions by sea. 9. By that time the French 
had landed their forces privately at another part of the island : 
so that Buckingham was at last obliged to retreat, but with 
such precipitation, that two-thirds of his army were cut to 
pieces before he could re-embark, though he was the last 
man of the whole army that quitted the shore. 10. This 
proof of his personal courage, however, was but a small 
subject of consolation for the disgrace which his country 
had sustained, for his own person would have been the last 
they would have regretted. 

11. The contest between the king and the commons every 
day grew warmer. The officers of the custom-house were 
summoned before the commons, to give an account by what 
s2 



210 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

authority they seized the goods of the merchants who had 
refused to pay the duty of tonnage and poundage, which 
they alleged was levied without the sanction of law t The 
barons of the exchequer were examined concerning their 
decrees on that head ; and the sheriff of London committed 
to the Tower for his activity in supporting the custom-house 
officers. 12. These were bold measures ; but the commons 
went still further, by a resolution to examine into religious 
grievances, and a new spirit of intolerance began to appear, 
A. D. 1629. The king, therefore, resolved to dissolve a 
parliament which he found himself unable to manage ; and 
sir John Finch, the speaker, just as the question concerning 
tonnage and poundage was going to be put, rose up, and 
informed the house that he had a command from the king 
to adjourn. 

13. The house upon this was in an uproar; the speaker 
was pushed back into his chair, and forcibly held in it by 
Hollis and Valentine, till a short remonstrance was framed, 
and passed by acclamation rather than vote. In this hasty 
production, papists and Arminians were declared capital 
enemies to the state ; tonnage and poundage were condemned 
as contrary to the law ; and not only those who raised that 
duty, but those who paid it, were considered as guilty of 
capital crimes. 

14. In consequence of this violent procedure, sir Miles 
Hobart, sir Peter Haymen, Selden, Coriton, Long, and 
Strode, were, by the king's order, committed to prison, 
under pretence of sedition. But the same temerity that 
impelled Charles to imprison them, induced him to grant 
them a release. 15. Sir John Elliot, Hollis, and Valentine 
were summoned before the king's bench ; but they refusing 
to appear before an inferior tribunal for faults committed in 
a superior, were condemned to be imprisoned during the 
king's pleasure ; the two former to pay a fine of a thousand 
pounds each, and the latter five hundred, and to find sureties 
for their good behaviour. The members triumphed in their 
sufferings, while they had the whole kingdom as spectators 
and applauders of their fortitude. 

16. In the mean time, while the king was thus distressed 
by the obstinacy of the commons, he felt a much severer 
blow by the death of his favourite, the duke of Buckingham, 
who fell a sacrifice to his unpopularity. 17. It had been 
resolved once more to undertake the raising of the siege of 
Rochelle ; and the earl of Denbigh, brother-in-law to Buck- 



CHARLES I. 211 

ingham, was sent thither, but returned without effecting any 
thing. In order to repair this disgrace, the duke of Buck- 
ingham went in person to Portsmouth to hurry on another 
expedition, and to punish such as had endeavoured to de- 
fraud the crown of the legal assessments. 18. In the general 
discontent that prevailed against that nobleman, it was daily 
expected that some severe measures would be resolved on ; 
and he was stigmatized as the tyrant and betrayer of his 
country. There was one Felton, who caught the general 
contagion, — an Irishman of a good family, who had served 
under the duke as lieutenant, but had resigned, on being 
refused his rank on the death of his captain, who had been 
killed at the isle of Rhe. 19. This man was naturally me- 
lancholy, courageous, and enthusiastic ; he felt for the coun- 
try, as if labouring under a calamity which he thought it in 
the power of his single arm to remove. He, therefore, re- 
solved to kill the duke, and thus revenge his own private in- 
juries, while he did service also to God and man. 20. Ani- 
mated in this manner with gloomy zeal and mistaken 
patriotism, he travelled down to Portsmouth alone, and 
entered the town while the duke was surrounded by his 
levee, and giving out the necessary orders for embarkation. 
While he was speaking to one of his colonels, Felton struck 
him over an officer's shoulder in the breast with his knife. 

21. The duke had only time to say, " The villain has killed 
me ;" when he fell at the colonel's feet, and instantly ex- 
pired. No one had seen the blow, nor the person who 
gave it; but a hat being picked up, on the inside of which 
was sewed a paper containing four or five lines of the re- 
monstrance of the commons against the duke, it was con- 
cluded that this hat must belong to the assassin ; and while 
they were . employed in conjectures whose it should be, a 
man without a hat was seen walking very composedly 
before the door, and was heard to cry out, "I am he !" 

22. He disdained denying a murder in which he gloried; 
and averred that he looked upon the duke as an enemy to 
his country, and, as such, deserving to suffer. When asked 
at whose instigation he had perpetrated that horrid deed, he 
answered that they need not trouble themselves in that in- 
quiry : that his conscience was his only prompter, and that 
no man on earth could dispose him to act against its dictates. 
He suffered with the same degree of constancy to the last ; 
nor were there many wanting, who admired not only hia 
fortitude, but the action for which he suffered. 



212 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. Who succeeded James ? 

3 — 6. What methods were taken to procure supplies ? 
7 — 10. What success attended Buckingham's expedition to France ? 
11. What followed the contest between the king and the commons ? 

13. What uproar was excited by the king's command to adjourn? 

14, 15. Under what pretence did the king send many of the members to 

prison ? 
17 — 21. Relate the circumstances which attended the assassination of the 

duke of Buckingham. 
22. What was the conduct of the assassin ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A. D. 1627.) The king's first measure, now being 
left without a minister and a parliament, was a prudent one. 
He made a peace with the two crowns against whom he had 
hitherto waged war, which had been entered upon without 
necessity, and conducted without glory. 2. Being freed 
from these embarrassments, he bent his whole attention to 
the management of the internal policy of the kingdom, and 
took two men as his associates in this task, who still acted 
an under part to himself. These were, sir Thomas Went- 
worth, afterwards created earl of Strafford; and Laud, after- 
wards archbishop of Canterbury. 

3. While Laud, therefore, during this long interval, ruled 
the church, the king and Strafford undertook to manage the 
temporal interests of the nation. A declaration was dis- 
persed, implying that during this reign no more parliaments 
would be summoned ; and every measure of the king but 
too well served to confirm the suspicion. 

4. Tonnage and poundage were continued to be levied by 
royal authority alone ; custom-house officers received orders 
from the council to enter any house whatever, in search of 
suspected goods : compositions were openly made with 
papists, and their religion was become a regular part of the 
revenue. 5. The high commission court and the court of 
the star-chamber exercised their power, independent of any 
law, upon several bold innovators in liberty, who only 
gloried in their sufferings, and contributed to render govern- 
ment odious and contemptible. Prynne, a barrister at Lin- 
coln's-Inn ; Burton, a divine ; and Bastwick, a physician ; 
were tried before this tribunal for schismatical libels, in 
which they attacked, with great severity and intemperate 



CHARLES I. 2.3 

zeal, the ceremonies of the church of England. They were 
condemned to be pilloried, to lose their ears, and to pay five 
thousand pounds to the king. 

6. Every year, every month, every day, gave fresh in- 
stances, during this long intermission of parliaments, of the 
resolution of the court to throw them off for ever ; but the 
levying of ship-money, as it was called, being a general 
burden, was universally complained of as a national griev- 
ance. This was a tax which had, in former reigns, been 
levied without the consent of parliament, but then the 
exigency of the state demanded such a supply. 7. John 
Hampden, a gentleman of fortune in Buckinghamshire, re- 
fused to comply with the tax, and resolved to bring it to a 
legal determination. He had been rated at twenty shillings 
for his estate, which he refused to pay; and the case was 
argued twelve days in the exchequer chamber, before all 
the judges of England. 8. The nation regarded, with the 
utmost anxiety, the result of a trial that was to fix the limits 
of the king's power. All the judges, four only excepted, 
gave sentence in favour of the crown ; while Hampden, 
who lost his cause, was more than sufficiently recompensed 
by the applause of the people. 

9. The discontent and. opposition which the king met 
with, in maintaining episcopacy among his English subjects, 
might, one would think, hinder him from attempting to in- 
troduce it among those of Scotland, where it was generally 
hateful. Having published an order for reading the liturgy 
in the principal church in Edinburgh, the people received it 
with clamours and imprecations. 10. The seditious disposi- 
tion in that kingdom, which had hitherto been kept within 
bounds, was now too furious for restraint, and the insurrec- 
tion became general over all the country, and the Scots flew 
to arms with great animosity. 

11. Yet still the king could not think of desisting from 
his design ; and so prepossessed was he in favour of royal 
right, that he thought the very name of king, when forcibly 
urged, would induce them to return to their duty. Instead, 
therefore, of fighting with his opponents, he entered upon a 
treaty with them ; so that a suspension of arms was soon 
agreed upon, and a treaty of peace concluded, which 
neither side intended to observe ; and then both parties 
agreed to disband their forces. After much altercation, and 
many treaties signed and broken, both parties had recourse 



214 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

once more to arms, and nothing but blood could satiate the 
contenders. 

12. War being thus resolved on, the king took every 
method as before for raising money to support it. Ship- 
money was levied as usual ; some other arbitrary taxes 
were exacted from the reluctant people with great severity ; 
but these were far from being sufficient ; and there now re- 
mained only one method more, the long-neglected method 
of a parliamentary supply. 

13. The new house of commons, however, could not be 
induced to treat the Scots, who were of the same principles 
with themselves, and contending against the same ceremo- 
nies, as enemies of the state. They regarded them as 
friends and brothers, who first rose to teach them a duty it 
was incumbent on all virtuous minds to imitate. The 
king, therefore, could reap no other fruits from this assem- 
bly than murmurings and complaints. 14. Every method 
he had taken to supply himself with money was declared 
an abuse, and breach of the constitution. The king, there- 
fore, finding no hopes of a compliance with his requests, 
but recrimination instead of redress, once more dissolved 
the parliament, to try the most feasible methods of removing 
his necessities. 

15. His necessities, however, continuing, that parliament 
was called, which did not cease sitting till they overturned 
the constitution. Without any interval they entered upon 
business, and by unanimous consent, they struck a blow that 
might be regarded as decisive. Instead of granting the 
demand of subsidies, they impeached the earl of Strafford, 
the king's first minister, and had him arraigned before the 
house of peers for high-treason. 16. After a long and elo- 
quent speech, delivered without premeditation, in which he 
confuted all the accusations of his enemies, he was found 
guilty by both houses of parliament ; and nothing remained 
but for the king to give his consent to the bill of attainder. 
Charles, who loved Strafford tenderly, hesitated, and seemed 
reluctant, trying every expedient to put off so dreadful a 
duty as that of signing the warrant for his execution. 17. 
While he continued in this agitation of mind, not knowing 
how to act, his doubts were at last silenced by an act of 
heroic bravery in the condemned lord. He received a letter 
from that unfortunate nobleman, desiring that his life might 
be made the sacrifice of mutual reconciliation between the 



CHARLES I. 215 

king and the people ; adding, that lie was prepared to die, 
and to a willing mind there could he no injury. 18. This 
instance of noble generosity was but ill repaid by his mas- 
ter, who complied with his request. He consented to sign 
the fatal bill by commission ; Strafford was beheaded on 
Tower-hill, behaving with all that composed dignity of re- 
solution that was expected from his character. 

19. In this universal rage for punishment, the parlia- 
ment fell with great justice on two courts, which had been 
erected under arbitrary kings, and had seldom been em- 
ployed but in cases of necessity. These were, the high 
commission court, and the court of star-chamber. A bill 
unanimously passed the houses to abolish both ; and in 
them to annihilate the principal and most dangerous articles 
in the king's prerogative. 

20. In the midst of these troubles an insurrection in the 
northern counties of Ireland, accompanied by several acts 
of atrocious cruelty, excited great alarm throughout the 
empire. The insurgents might have been easily subdued, 
but 'the king's deputies in Ireland, eager to make their 
fortunes by trading in confiscations, averred, that all the 
catholics in the kingdom were involved in the guilt of this 
rebellion, and by wicked arts changed the local disturbance 
into a general civil war. Many wanton murders were com- 
mitted on both sides ; religious zeal added bitterness to 
political animosity ; the hatred of heresy by one party, and 
of popery by the other, led men to perpetrate and palliate 
crimes shocking to human nature. The war lasted several 
years ; four hostile parties had armies in Ireland, the native 
Irish, the descendants of the early settlers, usually called 
" the lords of the pale," the royalists, and the puritans, 
who supported the supremacy of the English parliament. 
The last party, though infinitely the weakest, finally tri- 
umphed by taking advantage of the dissensions and errors 
of the other three. 

21. The king, aware that he was already suspected of a 
secret attachment to popery, and that the northern Irish 
pretended to have his authority for taking up arms, used 
every means in his power to put clown the rebellion. But 
he was no longer able to effect this desirable object, the 
native Irish and the lords of the pale, frequently deceived 
before, would not trust the royal promises ; Parsons and 
Borlase, the lords justices of Ireland, refused to obey the 
king's commands ; and the English parliament gladly used 



216 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the Irish war as a pretext for levying soldiers ; for every- 
one now clearly foresaw that the disputes between the king 
and the parliament must finally be decided by the sword. 
Many insinuations were thrown out that he had himself 
fomented this rebellion, and no money could be spared for 
the extinction of distant dangers, when they pretended that 
the kingdom was threatened with greater at home. 

It was now that the republican spirit began to appear 
without any disguise in the present parliament ; and that 
party, instead of attacking the faults of the king, resolved 
to destroy monarchy. 



Questions for Examination, 

1. What was the king's first measure after Buckingham's death? 

2, 3. By whom was the king assisted in his government? 

4. In what manner did the custom-house officers exact taxes ? 

5. What is said respecting the court of star-chamber? 

6. What tax was the most generally complained of? 

7. 8. By whom was the tax of ship-money opposed ? and what were the 

consequences ? 
9 — 12. What produced an insurrection in Scotland, and afterwards war? 
13. How were the Scotch regarded by the new parliament? 
15. What was the conduct of the next parliament ? 
16 — 18. Describe the particulars of the trial and death of the earl of Strafford. 

19. What were the next proceedings of parliament ? 

20. What insurrection took place in Ireland ? 

21. How was the king treated by his parliament on this occasion ? 
What spirit now openly manifested itself? 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1641.) The leaders of opposition began their 
operations by a resolution to attack episcopacy, which 
was one of the strongest bulwarks of the royal power. They 
accused thirteen bishops of high-treason, for enacting ca- 
nons without the consent of parliament ; and endeavoured 
to prevail upon the house of peers to exclude all the prelates 
from their seats and votes in that august assembly. The 
bishops saw the storm that was gathering against them ; and, 
probably to avert its effects, they resolved to attend their 
duty in the house of lords no longer. 

2. This was a fatal blow to the royal interest ; but it 
soon felt a much greater from the king's own imprudence. 
Charles had long suppressed his resentment, and only 



CHARLES I. 217 

strove to satisfy the commons by the greatness of his con- 
cessions ; but, rinding that all his compliances had but in- 
creased their demands, he could no longer restrain it. 3. 
He gave orders to Herbert, his attorney-general, to enter an 
accusation of high-treason in the house of peers against lord 
Kimbolton, one of the most popular men of his party, to- 
gether with five commoners ; sir Arthur Haslerig, Hollis, 
Hampden, Pym, and Strode. 4. The articles were, that 
they had traitorously endeavoured to subvert the fundamen- 
tal laws and government of the kingdom ; to deprive the 
king of his regal power, and to impose on his subjects an 
arbitrary and tyrannical authority. Men had scarcely lei- 
sure to wonder at the precipitancy and imprudence of his 
impeachment, when they were astonished by another mea- 
sure, still more rash and unsupported. 5. The next day the 
king himself was seen to enter the house of commons alone, 
advancing through the hall, while all the members stood up 
to receive him. The speaker withdrew from the chair, and 
the king took possession of it. Having seated himself, and 
having looked around for some time, he told the house that 
he was sorry for the occasion that had forced him thither ; 
that he was come in person to seize the members whom he 
had accused of high-treason, seeing they would not deliver 
them up to his serjeant-at-arms. He then sat down for 
some time, to see if the accused were present; but they had 
escaped a few minutes before his entry. 

6. Thus disappointed, perplexed, and not knowing on 
whom to rely, he next proceeded, amidst the clamours of 
the populace, who continued to cry out "Privilege! privi- 
lege !" to the common-council of the city, and made his 
complaints to them. The common-council only answered 
his complaints with a contemptuous silence ; and on his 
return, one of the populace, more insolent than the rest, 
cried out, " To your tents, O Israel !" a watch-word 
among the Jews, when they intended to abandon their 
princes. 

7. Being returned to Windsor, he began to reflect on the 
rashness of his former proceedings, and now, too late, re- 
solved to make some atonement. He, therefore, wrote to 
the parliament, informing them that he desisted from his 
former proceedings against the accused members ; and as- 
sured them that upon all occasions he would be as careful 
of their privileges as of his life or his crown. Thus his 
former violence had rendered him hateful to his com- 

T 



218 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

mons, and his present submission now rendered him con- 
temptible. 

8. The power of appointing generals and levying armies 
was still a remaining prerogative of the crown. The com- 
mons having, therefore, first magnified their terrors of po- 
pery, which perhaps they actually dreaded, they proceeded 
to petition that the Tower might be put into their hands, 
and that Hull, Portsmouth, and the fleet should be intrusted 
to persons of their choosing. These were requests, the 
complying with which levelled all that remained of the an- 
cient constitution ; however, such was the necessity of the 
times, that they were first contested, and then granted. 9. 
At last, every compliance only increased the avidity of mak- 
ing fresh demands ; the commons desired to have a militia, 
raised and governed by such officers and commanders as 
they should nominate, under pretext of securing them from 
the Irish papists, of whom they professed to be in great 
apprehensions. 

10. It was here that Charles first ventured to put a stop 
to these concessions, and being urged to give up the com- 
mand of the army for an appointed time, he was so exas- 
perated that he exclaimed, " No, not for an hour." This 
preremptory refusal broke off all further treaty ; and both 
sides were resolved to have recourse to arms. 

11. No period since England began could show so many 
instances of courage, abilities, and virtue, as the present 
fatal opposition called forth into exertion, A.D. 1642. Now 
was the time when talents of all kinds, unchecked by au- 
thority, were called from the lower ranks of life, to dispute 
for power and pre-eminence. 

12. Manifestos on the one side and the other were now 
dispersed throughout the whole kingdom ; and the people 
were universally divided between two factions, distinguished 
by the names of cavaliers and roundheads. The king's 
forces appeared in a very low condition ; besides the trained 
bands of the country, raised by sir John Digby, the sheriff, 
he had not get together three hundred infantry. 13. His 
cavalry, which composed his chief strength, exceeded not 
eight hundred, and were very ill provided with arms. How- 
ever, he was soon gradually reinforced from all quarters ; 
but not being then in a condition to face his enemies, he 
thought it prudent to retire by slow marches to Derby, and 
thence to Shrewsbury, in order to countenance the levies 
which his friends were making in those quarters. 



CHARLES I. 219 

14. In the mean time the parliament was not remiss in 
preparations on their side. They had a magazine of arms 
at Hull, and sir John Hotham was appointed governor of 
that place by government. The forces also, which had been 
everywhere raised on pretence of the service of Ireland, 
were now more openly enlisted by the parliament for their 
own purposes, and the command given to the earl of Essex, 
a bold man, who rather desired to see monarchy abridged 
than totally destroyed ; and in London no less than four 
thousand men were enlisted in one day. 

15. Edge-hill was the first place where the two armies 
were put in array against each other, and the country 
drenched in civil slaughter. It was a dreadful sight to see 
above thirty thousand of the bravest men in the world, in- 
stead of employing their courage abroad, turning it against 
each other, while the dearest friends and nearest kinsmen 
embraced opposite sides, and prepared to bury their private 
regards in factious hatred. After an engagement of some 
hpurs, animosity seemed to be wearied out, and both sides 
separated with equal loss. Five thousand men are said to 
have been found dead on the field of battle. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the first act of the leaders of the opposition? 

By what means did the bishops avert the impending storm ? 

2, 3. What was the king's conduct on this occasion ? 

4. What were the articles of impeachment ? 

5. How did the king conduct himself when he went to the house of com- 
mons ? 

6. How did the common-council afterwards receive him? 

7. What were the consequences of his rashness ? 

8. 9. What were the next demands of the commons? 

10. On what occasion did the king stop all further concessions ? 
What was the result ? 

12. By what names were the contending parties distinguished ? 

13. In what situation were the king's forces? 

14. What preparations did the parliament make ? 

15. Where did the armies first meet ? 
What was the issue of the battle ? 



SECTION IV. 

1. (A.D. 1643.) It would be tedious, and no way in- 
structive, to enter into the marchings and counter-marchings 
of these undisciplined and ill-conducted armies ; war was 



220 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

a new trade to the English, as they had not seen a hostile 
engagement in the island for nearly a century before. The 
queen came to reinforce the royal party ; she had brought 
soldiers and ammunition from Holland, and immediately 
departed to furnish more. 2. But the parliament, who knew 
its own consequence and strength, was no way discouraged. 
Their demands seemed to increase in proportion to their 
losses ; and as they were repressed in the field, they grew 
more haughty in the cabinet. Such governors as gave up 
their fortresses to the king were attainted of high-treason. 
3. It was in vain for the king to send proposals after any 
success ; this only raised their pride and their animosity. 
But though this desire in the king to make peace with his 
subjects was the highest encomium on his humanity ; yet 
his long negotiations, one of which was carried on at Ox- 
ford, were faulty as a warrior. He wasted that time in al- 
tercation and treaty, which he should have employed in 
vigorous exertions in the field. 

4. However, his first campaign, upon the whole, wore a 
favourable aspect. One victory followed after another ; 
Cornwall was reduced to peace and obedience under the 
king ; a victory was gained over the parliamentarians at 
Stratton-hill, in Cornwall ; another at Roundway Down, 
about two miles from Devizes ; and a third at Chalgrave 
Field. Bristol was besieged and taken, and Gloucester 
was invested ; the battle of Newbury was favourable to the 
royal cause ; and great hopes of success were formed from 
an army in the north, raised by the marquis of Newcastle. 

5. In this first campaign, the two bravest and greatest 
men of their respective parties were killed ; as if it was in- 
tended, by the kindness of Providence, that they should be 
exempted from seeing the miseries and the slaughter which 
were shortly to ensue ; these were John Hampden, and 
Lucius Cary, lord Falkland. The first in a skirmish against 
prince Rupert ; the other in the battle of Newbury, which 
followed shortly after. 

6. Hampden, whom we have seen, in the beginning of 
these troubles, refusing to pay the ship-money, gained, by 
his inflexible integrity, the esteem even of his enemies. To 
these he added affability in conversation, temper, art, elo- 
quence in debate, and penetration in council. 

7. Falkland was still a greater loss, and greater character. 
He added to Hampden's severe principles a politeness and 
elegance but then beginning to be known in England. He 



CHARLES I. 221 

had boldly withstood the king's pretensions while he saw 
him making a bad use of his power ; but, when he per- 
ceived the design of the parliament to overturn the religion 
and the constitution of the country, he changed his side, and 
steadfastly attached himself to the crown. 8. From the be- 
ginning of the civil war, his natural cheerfulness and vivacity 
forsook him ; he became melancholy, sad, pale, and negli- 
gent of his person, and seemed to wish for death. His 
usual cry among his friends, after a deep silence and fre- 
quent sighs, was, " Peace ! peace !" He now said, upon 
the morning of the engagement, that he was weary of the 
times, and should leave them before night. He was shot 
by a musket-ball in the belly ; and his body was next morn- 
ing found among a heap of slain. His writings, his ele- 
gance, his justice, and his courage deserved each a death 
of glory ; and they found it. 

9. The king, that he might make preparations during the 
winter for the ensuing campaign, and to oppose the designs 
of the Westminster parliament, called one at Oxford ; and 
this was the first time that England saw two parliaments 
sitting at the same time. His house of peers was pretty 
full ; his house of commons consisted of about one hundred 
and forty, which amounted to not above half of the other 
house of commons. From this shadow of a parliament he 
received some supplies, after which it was prorogued, and 
never after assembled. 

10. In the mean time, the parliament were equally active 
on their side. They passed an ordinance commanding all the 
inhabitants of London and its neighbourhood to retrench a 
meal a week, and to pay the value of it for the support of the 
public cause. 11. But, what was more effectual, the Scots, 
who considered their claims as similar, led a strong body to 
their assistance. They levied an army of fourteen thousand 
men in the east under the earl of Manchester ; they had an 
army of ten thousand men under Essex ; another, of nearly 
the same force, under sir William Waller. These were su- 
perior to any force the king could bring into the field ; and 
were well appointed with ammunition, provisions, and pay. 

12. Hostilities, which even during the winter season had 
never been wholly discontinued, were renewed in spring 
with their usual fury, and served to desolate the kingdom, 
without deciding victory. A. D. 1644. Each county joined 
that side to which it was addicted from motives of convic- 
tion, interest, or fear, though some observed a perfect neu- 
t2 



222 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

trality. Several frequently petitioned for peace ; and all the 
wise and good were earnest in the cry. 13. What particu- 
larly deserves remark was an attempt of the women of 
London, who, to the number of two or three thousand, went 
in a body to the house of commons, earnestly demanding a 
peace — " Give us those traitors," said they, " that are 
against a peace : give them, that we may tear them to 
pieces." The guards found some difficulty in quelling this 
insurrection, and one or two women lost their lives in the 
affray. 

14. The battle of Marston Moor was the beginning of the 
king's misfortunes and disgrace. The Scots and parlia- 
mentarian army had joined, and were besieging York, when 
prince Rupert, joined by the marquis of Newcastle, deter- 
mined to raise the siege. Both armies drew up on Marston 
Moor, to the number of fifty thousand, and the victory 
seemed long undecided between them. 15. Rupert, who 
commanded the right wing of the royalists, was opposed by 
Oliver Cromwell, who now first came into notice, at the 
head of a body of troops which he had taken care to levy 
and discipline. Cromwell was victorious ; he pushed his 
opponents off the field, followed the vanquished, returned 
to a second engagement, and a second victory ; the prince's 
whole train of artillery was taken, and the royalists never 
after recovered the blow. 

J 6. William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, was sent 
to the Tower in the beginning of the civil war. He was 
now brought to his trial, condemned, and executed. And it 
was a melancholy consideration, that in those times of trou- 
ble, the best men on either side were those who chiefly suf- 
fered. 

17. The death of Laud was followed by a total alteration 
of the ceremonies of the church. The liturgy was, by a 
public act, abolished the day he died, as if he had been the 
only obstacle to its formal removal. The church of England 
was, in all respects, brought to a conformity to the puritani- 
cal establishment; while the citizens of London, and the 
Scots army, gave public thanks for so happy an alteration. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who reinforced the royal party ? 

2. What courage did the parliament display ? 

4, 5. In the first campaign, where were the principal battles fought ? 

6. Describe the character of Hampden. 

7. Describe the character of Falkland. 



CHARLES I. 223 

8. How was his death occasioned ? 

9. Where did the king summon a parliament ? and what were their pro- 

ceedings ? 

10. What ordinance was now passed ? 

11. What other measures were taken in opposition to the king ? 

12. What was the situation of the kingdom ? 

13. What earnest desire for peace did the women of London discover ? 

14. 15. Describe the particulars of the battle of Marston Moor. 

16. What was the fate of archbishop Laud? 

17. What followed his execution ? 



SECTION V. 



1. (A. D. 1645.) The well-disputed battle, which decided 
the fate of Charles, was fought at Naseby, a village in 
Northamptonshire. The main body of the royal army was 
commanded by lord Astley ; prince Rupert led the right 
wing, sir Marmaduke Langdale the left, and the king him- 
self headed the body of reserve. 2. On the opposite side, 
Fairfax and Skippon commanded the main body, Cromwell 
led on the right wing, and Ire ton, his son-in-law, the left. 
Prince Rupert attacked the left wing with his usual impetu- 
osity and success ; they were broken, and pursued as far as 
the village ; but he lost time in attempting to make himself 
master of their artillery. 3. Cromwell, in the mean time, was 
equally successful on his side, and broke through the enemy's 
horse, after a very obstinate resistance. While these were 
thus engaged, the infantry on both sides maintained the conflict 
with equal ardour, but in spite of the efforts of Fairfax and 
Skippon, their battalions began to give way. At this cri- 
tical period, Cromwell returned with his victorious forces, 
and charged the king's infantry in flank with such vigour, 
that a total rout began to ensue. 4. By this time prince 
Rupert had rejoined the king, and the small body of reserve : 
but his troops, though victorious, could not be brought to a 
second charge. The king, perceiving the battle wholly 
lost, was obliged to abandon the field to his enemies, who 
took all his cannon, baggage, and about fifty thousand pri- 
soners. 

5. The battle of Naseby put the parliamentarians in pos- 
session of almost all the strong cities of the kingdom, Bris- 
tol, Bridgewater, Chester, Sherborn, and Bath. Exeter 
was besieged ; and all the king's troops in the western 
counties being entirely dispersed, Fairfax pressed the place, 
and it surrendered at discretion. The king, thus surrounded, 



224 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

harassed on every side, retreated to Oxford ; that, in all con- 
ditions of his fortune, had held steady to his cause ; and 
there he resolved to offer new terms to his incensed pur- 
suers. 

6. In the mean time Fairfax was approaching with a 
powerful and victorious army, and was taking the proper 
measures for laying siege to Oxford, which promised an 
easy surrender. To be taken captive, and led in triumph 
by his insolent subjects, was what Charles justly abhorred : 
and every insult and violence was to be dreaded from the 
soldiery, who had felt the effects of his opposition. 

7. In this desperate extremity he embraced a measure, 
which, in any other situation, might justly lie under the im- 
putation of imprudence and indiscretion. He took the fatal 
resolution of giving himself up to the Scots army, who had 
never testified such implacable animosity against him ; but 
he soon found, that instead of treating him as a king, they 
insulted him as a captive. 

8. The English parliament, being informed of the king's 
captivity, immediately entered into a treaty with the Scots 
about delivering up their prisoner. This was soon adjusted. 
They agreed, that upon payment of four hundred thousand 
pounds, they would deliver up the king to his enemies, and 
this was cheerfully complied with. An action so atrocious 
may be palliated, but can never be defended ; they returned 
home laden with plunder, and the reproaches of all good 
men. 

9. The civil war was now over ; the king had absolved 
his followers from their allegiance, and the parliament had 
now no enemy to fear, except those very troops by which 
they had extended their overgrown authority. But, in pro- 
portion as the terror of the king's power diminished, the 
divisions between the members which composed the parlia- 
ment became more apparent. 10. The majority in the house 
were of the presbyterian sect, who were for having clergy ; 
but the majority of the army were staunch independents, who 
admitted of no clergy, but thought that every man had a 
right to instruct his fellows. At the head of this sect was 
Cromwell, who secretly directed their operations, and invi- 
gorated all their measures. 

11. Oliver Cromwell, whose talents now began to appear 
in full lustre, was the son of a private gentleman of Hun- 
tingdon : but, being the son of a second brother, he inherited 
a very small paternal fortune. From accident or intrigue, 



CHARLES I. 225 

he was chosen a member for the town of Cambridge in the 
long parliament ; but he seemed at first to possess no ora- 
torical talents ; his person being ungraceful, his dress slo- 
venly, his elocution homely, tedious, obscure, and embar- 
rassed. 12. He made up, however, by zeal and perseverance 
what he wanted in natural powers ; and being endowed with 
unshaken intrepidity, much dissimulation, and a thorough 
conviction of the rectitude of his cause, he rose, through the 
gradations of preferment, to the post of lieutenant-general 
under Fairfax ; but, in reality, possessing the supreme com- 
mand over the whole army. 

13. The army now began to consider themselves as a 
body distinct from the commonwealth ; and complained that 
they had secured the general tranquillity, while they were 
at the same time deprived of the privileges of Englishmen. 
In opposition, therefore, to the parliament of Westminster, 
a military parliament was formed, composed of the officers 
and common soldiers of each regiment. 14. The principal 
officers formed a council to represent the body of peers : 
the soldiers elected two men out of each company, to re- 
present the house of commons, and these were called the 
agitators of the army. Cromwell took care to be one of 
the number, and thus contrived an easy method of secretly 
conducting and promoting the sedition of the army. 

15. The unhappy king, in the mean time, continued a 
prisoner at Holmby Castle ; and as his countenance might 
add some authority to that side which should obtain it, 
Cromwell, who secretly conducted all the measures of the 
army, while he apparently exclaimed against their violence, 
resolved to seize the king's person. 1G. Accordingly, a 
party of five hundred horse appearing at Holmby Castle, 
under the command of one Joyce, conducted the king to 
the army, near Cambridge. The next day Cromwell ar- 
rived among them, where he was received with acclama- 
tions of joy, and was instantly invested with the supreme 
command. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Where was the battle fought that decided the fate of Charles? 
Who were the leaders of the king's army ? 

2. By whom was the parliamentary army conducted ? 

4. What was the issue of the battle ? 

5. What towns surrendered to the parliamentarians after this engagement? 

6. Where did the king fly lor refuge ? 

7. On what measure did he now resolve ? 



226 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

8. What atrocious act was committed towards the king ? 

10. What were the parties which composed the parliament ? 

11. Who was Oliver Cromwell? 

12. To what post in the army did he rise? 

14. In what manner was a council formed from the army ? 

15. Where was the place of the king's confinement? 

16. By whose command was he taken and conducted to the army ? 



SECTION VI. 

(A.D. 1647.) The house of commons was now di- 
vided into parties, as usual; one part opposing, but the 
majority, with the two speakers at their head, encouraging 
the army. In such an universal confusion, it is not to be 
expected that any thing less than a separation of the parties 
could take place : and accordingly the two speakers, with 
sixty-two members, secretly retired from the house, and 
threw themselves under the protection of the army, which 
was then at Hounslow-heath. 2. They were received with 
shouts and acclamations ; their integrity was extolled ; and 
the whole body of the soldiery, a formidable force of twenty 
thousand men, now moved forward, to reinstate them in 
their former seats and stations. 

3. In the mean time, that part of the house which was 
left behind resolved to act with vigour, and resist the en- 
croachments of the army. They chose new speakers, they 
gave orders for enlisting troops, they ordered the trainbands 
to man the lines, and the whole city boldly resolved to resist 
the invasion. But this resolution only held while the enemy 
was thought at a distance ; for, when the formidable force 
of Cromwell appeared, all was obedience and submission ; 
the gates were opened to the general, who attended the 
speakers, and the rest of the members, peaceably to their 
habitations. 4. The eleven impeached members, being 
accused as causers of the tumult, were expelled, and most 
of them retired to the continent. The mayor, sheriff, and 
three aldermen were sent to the Tower ; several citizens 
and officers of the militia were committed to prison, and 
the lines about the city were levelled to the ground. The 
command of the Tower was given to Fairfax, the general ; 
and the parliament offered him their hearty thanks for having 
disobeyed their commands. 

5. It now only remained to dispose of the king, who had 



ciiarles i. 227 

been sent by the army a prisoner to Hampton Court; from 
whence he attempted to escape, but was once more made 
prisoner in the Isle of Wight, and confined in Carisbrook 
Castle. 

6. While the king continued in this forlorn situation, the 
parliament, new modelled as it was by the army, was every 
day growing more feeble and factious. He still, therefore, 
continued to negotiate with the parliament for settling the 
unspeakable calamities of the kingdom. The parliament 
saw no other method of destroying the military power than 
to depress it by the kingly ; and frequent proposals for an 
accommodation passed between the captive king and the 
commons. 

7. But it was now too late : their power was soon totally 
to expire ; for the rebellious army, crowned with success, 
was returned from the destruction of their enemies ; and, 
sensible of their own power, with furious remonstrances 
began to demand vengeance on their king. At the same 
time they advanced to Windsor : and sending an officer to 
seize the king's person, where he was lately sent under 
confinement, they conveyed him to Hurst Castle, in Hamp- 
shire, opposite the Isle of Wight. 8. The commons, 
however, though destitute of all hopes of prevailing, had 
still courage to resist, and attempted, in the face of the 
whole army, to close their treaty with the king. But the 
next day colonel Pride, at the head of two regiments, block- 
aded the house, seized in the passage forty-one members of 
the presbyterian party, and sent them to a low room be- 
longing to the house, that passed by the denomination of 
hell. 9. Above a hundred and sixty members more were 
excluded ; and none were allowed to enter but the most 
furious and determined of the independents, in all not ex- 
ceeding sixty. This atrocious invasion of the parliamentary 
rights commonly passed by the name of Pride's Purge, and 
the remaining members were called the Rump. These soon 
voted that the transactions of the house a few days before 
were entirely illegal, and that their general's conduct was 
just and necessary. 

10. A committee was appointed to bring in a charge 
against the king ; and a vote passed, declaring it treason in 
a king to levy war against his parliament. A high court of 
justice was accordingly appointed, to try his majesty for 
this new-invented treason. 

11. Colonel Harrison, the son of a butcher, was com- 



228 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

manded to conduct the king from Hurst Castle to Windsor, 
and from thence to London. His afflicted subjects, who 
ran to have a sight of their sovereign, were greatly affected 
at the change that appeared in his face and person. He 
had allowed his beard to grow ; his hair was become vene- 
rably gray, rather by the pressure of anxiety than the hand 
of time ; while his apparel bore the marks of misfortune 
and decay. 12. Thus he stood a solitary figure of majesty 
in distress, which even his adversaries could not behold 
without reverence and compassion. He had been long at- 
tended only by an old decrepid servant, whose name was 
sir Philip Warwick, who could only deplore his master's 
fate, without being able to revenge his cause. 13. All the 
exterior symbols of sovereignty were now withdrawn ; and 
his new attendants had orders to serve him without cere- 
mony. The duke of Hamilton, who was reserved for the 
same punishment with his master, having leave to take a 
last farewell as he departed from Windsor, threw himself at 
the king's feet, crying out, " My dear master !" 14. The 
unhappy monarch raised him up, and embracing him ten- 
derly, replied, while tears ran down his cheeks, " I have 
indeed been a dear master to you." These were severe 
distresses ; however he could not be persuaded that his ad- 
versaries would bring him to a formal trial ; but he every 
moment expected to be despatched by private assassination. 

15. From the sixth to the twentieth of January was spent 
in making preparations for this extraordinary trial. The 
court of justice consisted of a hundred and thirty-three 
persons, named by the commons : but of these never above 
seventy sat upon the trial. The members were chiefly 
composed of the principal officers of the army, most of 
them of very mean birth, together with some of the lower 
house, and a few citizens of London. Bradshaw, a lawyer, 
was chosen president ; Coke was appointed solicitor for the 
people of England ; Dorislaus, Steele, and Aske were 
named assistants. The court sat in Westminster-hall. 

16. The king was now conducted from Windsor to St. 
James's, and the next day was brought before the high 
court to take his trial. When he was brought forward, 
he was conducted by the mace-bearer to a chair placed 
within the bar. Though long detained a prisoner, and now 
produced as a criminal, he still sustained the dignity of a 
king ; he surveyed the members of the court with a stern 
and haughty air ; and, without moving his hat, sat down, 



CHARLES I. 229 

while the members also were covered. 17. His charge was 
then read by the solicitor, accusing him of having been the 
cause of all the bloodshed which followed since the com- 
mencement of the war : at that part of the charge he could 
not suppress a smile of contempt and indignation. After 
his charge was finished, Bradshaw directed his discourse to 
the king, and told him that the court expected his answer. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What measures were pursued by the majority of the house of commons ? 

2. How were they received hy the army ? 

3. What was the conduct of the remaining members ? 

4. To whom was the command of the Tower given ? 

5. Did not the king escape from his place of confinement ? 
Where was he taken ? 

6. Did he continue to negotiate with the parliament ? 

7 — 9. Describe the conduct of the army on this occasion. 
11, 12. What was now the appearance of the king? 
13. What passed between him and the duke of Hamilton? 

15. How many persons sat on the king's trial ? 

16. Who were the chief? 

17.' What was his behaviour on his trial ? 

What was the charge alleged against him ? 



SECTION VII. 

1. (A. D. 1648.) The king, with great temper, entered 
upon his defence, by denying the authority of the court. 
He represented, that, having been engaged in a treaty with 
his two houses of parliament, and having finished almost 
every article, he expected a different treatment from that 
which he now received. He perceived, he said, no appear- 
ance of an upper house, which was necessary to constitute 
a just tribunal. 2. That he was himself the king and the 
fountain of law, and, consequently, could not be tried by 
laws to which he had never given his assent ; that having 
been intrusted with the liberties of the people, he would 
not now betray them, by recognising a power founded in 
usurpation ; that he was willing, before a proper tribunal, 
to enter into the particulars of his defence ; but that before 
them he must decline any apology or plea of innocence, 
lest he should be considered as the betrayer of, and not a 
martyr for, the constitution. 

3. Bradshaw, in order to support the authority of the 
U 



230 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

court, insisted that they had received their power from the 
people, the source of all right. He pressed the prisoner 
not to decline the authority of the court, which was dele- 
gated by the commons of England ; and he interrupted and 
overruled the king in his attempts to reply. 

4. In this manner the king was three times produced be- 
fore the court, and as often he persisted in declining its 
jurisdiction. The fourth and last time he was brought be- 
fore the self-created tribunal ; as he was proceeding thither, 
he was insulted by the soldiers and the mob, who exclaimed, 
"Justice! justice! execution! execution!" but he con- 
tinued undaunted. His judges, having now examined some 
witnesses, by whom it was proved that the king had ap- 
peared in arms against the forces commissioned by parlia- 
ment, pronounced sentence against him. 

5. The conduct of the king, under all these instances of 
low-bred malice, was great, firm, and equal; in going through 
the hall, the soldiers and the rabble were again instigated to 
cry out, "Justice and execution !" They reviled him with 
the most bitter reproaches. Among other insults, one mis- 
creant presumed to spit in the face of his sovereign. He 
patiently bore their insolence. " Poor souls," cried he, 
" they would treat their generals in the same manner for 
sixpence." 6. Those of the populace who still retained 
the feelings of humanity, expressed their sorrow in sighs 
and tears. A soldier, more compassionate than the rest, 
could not help imploring a blessing upon his royal head. 
An officer, overhearing him, struck the honest sentinel to 
the ground before the king, who could not help saying that 
the punishment exceeded the offence. 

7. After returning from this solemn mockery of justice, 
the unhappy monarch petitioned the house for permission 
to see his children, and desired the attendance of Dr. Juxon, 
bishop of London, to assist in his private devotions. Both 
requests were immediately granted, and three days were 
allowed to prepare for the execution of the sentence. This 
interval was spent by Charles in the exercises of devotion, 
and in administering consolation to his unhappy family. 
8. During the progress of the trial, the French and Dutch 
ambassadors vainly interceded in his behalf; and the Scots, 
who had set the first example of resistance to his authority, 
now remonstrated against the violence offered to his person 
and dignity. 9. After his condemnation, the queen and the 
prince of Wales wrote the most pathetic letters to the par- 



CHARLES I. 



231 




Execution of King Charles I. 1649. 

liament ; but nothing could divert the stern regicides from 
their atrocious design. 

10. The king was confined in the palace of St. James's, 
but the place selected for erecting the scaffold was the 
street before the palace of Whitehall. 11. On the morning 
of the execution he rose early, and having spent some time 
in private devotion, received the sacrament from the hands 
of bishop Juxon ; he was then conducted on foot through 
the park to Whitehall, and partook of some slight refresh- 
ment ; after a brief delay, he advanced to the place of execu- 
tion, attended still by his friend and servant Dr. Juxon, who 
used every exertion to soothe the last moments of his unfor- 
tunate master. 12. The scaffold, which was covered with 
black, was guarded by a regiment of soldiers, under the 
command of colonel Tomlinson, and under it were to be 
seen a block, the axe, and two executioners in masks. The 
people, in immense crowds, stood at a great distance, in 
dreadful expectation of the event. The king surveyed all 
these solemn preparations with calm composure ; and as he 
could not expect to be heard by the people at a distance, he 
addressed himself to the few persons who stood around him. 
13. He there justified his own innocence in the late fatal 
war ; and observed, that he had not taken arms till after the 
parliament had shown him the example. That he had no 
other object in his warlike preparations than to preserve that 
authority entire, which had been transmitted to him by his 
ancestors ; but, though innocent towards his people, he 



232 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

acknowledged the equity of his execution in the eyes of his 
Maker. 14. He owned that he was justly punished for 
having consented to the execution of an unjust sentence 
upon the earl of Strafford. He forgave all his enemies ; 
exhorted the people to return to their obedience* and ac- 
knowledge his son as his successor ; and signed his attach- 
ment to the protestant religion, as professed in the church of 
England. So strong was the impression his dying words 
made upon the few who could hear him, that colonel Tom- 
linson himself, to whose care he had been committed, ac- 
knowledged himself a convert. 

15. While he was preparing himself for the block, bishop 
Juxon called out to him, " There is, sir, but one stage more, 
which, though turbulent and troublesome, is yet a very short 
one. It will soon carry you a great way. It will carry 
you from earth to heaven, and there you shall find, to your 
great joy, the prize to which you hasten, a crown of glory." 
16. " I go," replied the king, "from a corruptible to an 
incorruptible crown, where no disturbance can have place." 
— " You exchange," replied the bishop, " a temporal for an 
eternal crown ; a good exchange !" Charles, having taken 
off his cloak, delivered his George to the prelate, pronounc- 
ing the word " Remember !" Then he laid his neck on the 
block, and, stretching out his hands as a signal, one of the 
executioners severed his head from his body at a blow ; 
while the other, holding it up, exclaimed, "This is the 
head of a traitor !" 17. The spectators testified their horror 
of the sad spectacle in sighs, tears, and lamentations ; the 
tide of their duty and affection began to return ; and each 
blamed himself either with active disloyalty to his king, or 
a passive compliance with his destroyers. 

18. Charles was executed in the forty-ninth year of his 
age, and the twenty-fourth of his reign. He was of a mid- 
dle stature, robust, and well-proportioned. His visage was 
pleasing, but melancholy ; and it is probable that the con- 
tinued troubles in which he was involved might have made 
that impression on his countenance. As for his character, 
the reader will deduce it, with more precision and satisfac- 
tion to himself, from the detail of his conduct, than from any 
summary given of it by the historian. 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 233 

Questions for Examination. 

1, 2. What did the king urge in his defence ? 

3. What was the answer of'Bradshaw ? 

4. What treatment did he receive from the soldiers? 

5. Wilh what patience did he bear their reproaches? and what was his re 

mark ? 
7. 8. What followed the king's condemnation ? 
9, 10. What spot was chosen as the place of the king's execution? 

12. What preparations were made for his trial ? 

13, 14. What did he say in his address to the people ? 

15, 16. What conversation passed between the king and bishop Juxon? 

17. What effect had his execution on the minds of the people ? 

18. How long did Charles reign ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Urban VIII 1623 

Innocent X 1644 

Emperors of Germany. 

Ferdinand II 1619 

Ferdinand HI 1637 



Emperors of the Turks. 

A.D. 

AmurathlV 1623 

Ibrahim 1649 

Mahomet IV 1649 

Kings of France. 

Louis XIII 1620 

Louis XIV 1643 



King of Spain and 
Portugal. 

A.D. 

Philip IV 1621 



Portugal alone. 
John IV 1640 



EMINENT PERSONS. 
Archbishop Laud. Earl of Strafford. John Hampden. Lucius Cary, lord 
Falkland. Harry Cary, lord Falkland. H. Montague, earl of Manchester. 
R. Greville, lord Brooke. Lord-keeper Littleton. Arthur, lord Capel. Lord 
Edward Herbert, of Cherbury. G. Stanley, earl of Derby. J. Digby, earl 
of Bristol. Ulicke de Burgh, marquis of Clanricarde, and earl of St. Alban's. 
Henry Carey, earl of Monmouth. Mildmay Fane, earl of Westmoreland. E. 
Somerset, marquis of Worcester 



CHAPTER XXIX. 
OLIVER CROMWELL. 

Bom 1599. Died September 3, 1058. Became lord protector December 16, 1G53. 
Ruled 4J years. 

THE COMMONWEALTH. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1749.) Cromwell, who had secretly solicited 

and contrived the king's death, now began to feel wishes 

to which he had been hitherto a stranger. His prospects 

widening as he rose, his first principles of liberty were 

u2 



234 HISTORY OF ENCLAXD. 

all lost in the unbounded stretch of power that lay before 
him. 

2. Having been appointed to command the army in Ire- 
land, he prosecuted the war in that kingdom with his usual 
success. He had to combat against the royalists, com- 
manded by the duke of Ormond, and the native Irish, led on 
by O'Neil. But such ill-connected and barbarous troops 
could give very little opposition to Cromwell's more nu- 
merous forces, conducted by such a general, and emboldened 
by long success. He soon overran the whole country ; 
and, after some time, all the towns revolted in his favour, 
and opened their gates at his approach. 3. But, in these 
conquests, as in all the rest of his actions, there appeared a 
brutal ferocity, that would tarnish the most heroic valour. 
In order to intimidate the natives from defending their 
towns, he, with a barbarous policy, put every garrison that 
made any resistance to the sword. 

4. After his return to England, upon taking his seat, he 
received the thanks of the house, by the mouth of the 
speaker, for the services he had done the commonwealth in 
Ireland. They then proceeded to deliberate upon choosing 
a general for conducting the war in Scotland, where they 
had espoused the royal cause, and placed young Charles, 
the son of their late monarch, on the throne. Fairfax re- 
fusing this command upon principle, as he had all along 
declined opposing the presbyterians, the command necessa- 
rily devolved upon Cromwell, who boldly set forward for 
Scotland, at the head of an army of sixteen thousand men. 

5. The Scots, in the mean time, who had invited over 
their wretched king to be a prisoner, not a ruler among them, 
prepared to meet the invasion. A.D. 1650. A battle soon 
ensued, in which they, though double the number of the 
English, were soon put to flight, and pursued with great 
slaughter, while Cromwell did not lose above forty men 
in all. 

6. In this terrible exigence young Charles embraced a 
resolution worthy a prince who was willing to hazard all 
for empire. Observing that the way was open to England, 
he resolved immediately to march into that country, where 
he expected to be reinforced by all the royalists in that part 
of the kingdom. 

7. But he soon found himself disappointed in the expec- 
tation of increasing his army. The Scots, terrified at the 
prospect of so hazardous an enterprise, fell from him in great 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 235 

numbers. The English, affrighted at the name of his op- 
ponent, dreaded to join him ; but his mortifications were 
still more increased as he arrived at Worcester, when in- 
formed that Cromwell was marching with hasty strides from 
Scotland, with an army increased to forty thousand men. 
8. The news had scarcely arrived, when that active general 
himself appeared ; and, falling upon the town on all sides, 
broke in upon the disordered royalists. The streets were 
strewed with slaughter ; the whole Scots army were either 
killed or taken prisoners ; and the king himself, having 
given many proofs of personal valour, was obliged to fly. 

9. Imagination can scarcely conceive adventures more 
romantic, or distress more severe, than those which at- 
tended the young king's flight from the scene of slaughter. 
After various escapes, and one-and-forty days concealment, 
he landed safely at Feschamp, in Normandy ; no less than 
forty men and women having, at different times, been privy 
to his escape. 

10. In the mean time, Cromwell, crowned with success, 
returned in triumph to London, where he was met by the 
speaker of the house, accompanied by the mayor of London, 
and the magistrates, in all their formalities. His first care 
was to take advantage of his late success, by depressing the 
Scots, who had so lately withstood the work of the gospel, 
as he called it. 11. An act was passed for abolishing roy- 
alty in Scotland, and annexing that kingdom, as a conquered 
province, to the English commonwealth. It was empow- 
ered, however, to send some members to the English par- 
liament. Judges were appointed to distribute justice, and 
the people of that country, now freed from the tyranny of 
the ecclesiastics, were not much dissatisfied with their pre- 
sent government. The prudent conduct of Monk, who was 
left by Cromwell to complete their subjection, served much 
to reconcile the minds of the people, harassed with dissen- 
sions, of which they never well understood the cause. 

12. In this manner, the English parliament, by the means 
of Cromwell, spread their uncontested authority over all the 
British dominions. Ireland was totally subdued by Ireton 
and Ludlow. All the settlements in America, that had de- 
clared for the royal cause, were obliged to submit; Jersey, 
Guernsey, Scilly, and the Isle of Man, were brought easily 
under subjection. Thus mankind saw, with astonishment, 
a parliament composed of sixty or seventy obscure and illi- 
terate members governing a great empire with unanimity 



236 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

and success. 13. Without any acknowledged subordination, 
except a council of state, consisting of thirty-eight, to whom 
all addresses were made, they levied armies, maintained 
fleets, and gave laws to the neighbouring powers of Europe. 
14. The finances were managed with economy and exact- 
ness. Few private persons became rich by the plunder of 
the public : the revenues of the crown, the lands of the 
bishops, and a tax of a hundred and twenty thousand pounds 
each month, supplied the wants of the government, and 
gave vigour to all their proceedings. 



Questio?is for Examination . 

1. What was the nature of Cromwell's ambition? 

2. What success attended him in Ireland ? 

3. What cruelty tarnished his victories ? 

4. Whom did the parliament appoint to the command of the army against 

Scotland ? 

5. What was Cromwell's success ? 

6. What resolution did prince Charles embrace ? 

7. What news did the prince receive at Worcester? 

8. What was the result of his undertaking ? 

9. What were his sufferings ? and how did he escape ? 

10. What was Cromwell's first care after his return ? 

11. What act was now passed respecting Scotland ? 

12 — 14. What was the state of the British empire at this time ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A. D. 1652.) The parliament, having thus reduced 
their native dominions to perfect obedience, next resolved 
to chastise the Dutch, who had given but very slight cause 
of complaint. It happened that one doctor Dorislaus, who 
was of the number of the late king's judges, being sent by 
the parliament as their envoy to Holland, was assassinated 
by one of the royal party, who had taken refuge there. 
2. Some time after, also, Mr. St. John, appointed their 
ambassador to that court, was insulted by the friends of the 
prince of Orange. These were thought motives sufficient 
to induce the commonwealth of England to declare war 
against them. The parliament's chief dependence lay in 
the activity and courage of Blake, their admiral; who, 
though he had not embarked in naval command till late in 
life, yet surpassed all that went before him in courage and 
dexterity. 3. On the other side, the Dutch opposed to him 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 237 

their famous admiral Van Tromp, to whom they have never 
since produced an equal. Many were the engagements be- 
tween these celebrated admirals, and various was their suc- 
cess. Sea-fights, in general, seldom prove decisive: and 
the vanquished are soon seen to make head against the 
victor. Several dreadful encounters, therefore, rather served 
to show the excellence of the admirals, than to determine 
their superiority. 4. The Dutch, however, who felt many 
great disadvantages by the loss of their trade, and by the 
total suspension of their fisheries, were willing to treat for 
a peace ; but the parliament gave them a very unfavourable 
answer. It was the policy of that body to keep their navy 
on foot as long as they could ; rightly judging, that, while 
the force of the nation was exerting by sea, it would di- 
minish the power of general Cromwell by land, which was 
become very formidable to them. 

5. This great aspirer, however, quickly perceived their 
designs ; and, from the first, saw that they dreaded his 
growing power, and wished its diminution. All his mea- 
sure were conducted with a bold intrepidity that marked 
his character, and he now saw that it was not necessary to 
wear the mask of subordination any longer. Secure, there- 
fore, in the attachment of the army, he resolved to make 
another daring effort; and persuaded the officers to present 
a petition for payment of arrears and redress of grievances, 
which he knew would be rejected by the commons with 
disdain. 6. The petition was soon drawn up and pre- 
sented, in which the officers, after demanding their arrears, 
desired the parliament to consider how many years they 
had sat ; and what professions they had formerly made of 
their intentions to new-model the house, and establish free- 
dom on the broadest basis. 

7. The house w,as highly offended at the presumption of 
the army, although they had seen, but too lately, that their 
own power was wholly founded on that very presumption. 
They appointed a committee to prepare an act ordaining 
that all persons who presented such petitions for the future 
should be deemed guilty of high-treason. To this the offi- 
cers made a very warm remonstrance, and the parliament 
as angry a reply ; while the breach between them every 
moment grew wider. 8. This was what Cromwell had 
long wished, and had long foreseen. He was sitting in the 
council with his officers, when informed of the subject on 
which the house was deliberating ; upon which he rose up, 



238 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Cromwell dismissing the parliament. 

in the most seeming fury, and turning to major Vernon, he 
cried out, that he was compelled to do a thing that made 
the very hairs of his head stand on end. 9. Then hasten- 
ing to the house with three hundred soldiers, and with the 
marks of violent indignation on his countenance, he entered. 
Stamping with his foot, which was the signal for the soldiers 
to enter, the place was immediately filled with armed men. 
Then addressing himself to the members : " For shame," 
said he, " get you gone. Give place to honester men ; to 
those who will more faithfully discharge their trust. 10. You 
are no longer a parliament: I tell. you, you are no longer a 
parliament: the Lord has done with you." Sir Harry 
Vane exclaiming against this conduct : " Sir Harry," cried 
Cromwell, with a loud voice, " O ! sir Harry Vane, the 
Lord deliver me from sir Harry Vane." He then, in the 
coarsest and most violent manner, reproached many of the 
members, by name, with their vices. " It is you," con- 
tinued he, "that have forced me upon this. 11. I have 
sought the Lord night and day, that he would rather slay 
me than put me upon this work." Then pointing to the 
mace, " Take away," cried he, " that bauble." After 
which, turning out all the members, and clearing the hall, 
he ordered the doors to be locked, and, putting the key in 
his pocket, returned to Whitehall. 

12. The persons selected for his next parliament were 
the lowest, meanest, and the most ignorant among the citi- 



THE COMMONWEALTH 239 

zens, and the very dregs of the fanatics. He was well ap- 
prized, that, during the administration of such a group of 
characters, he alone must govern, or that they must soon 
throw up the reins of government, which they were unqua- 
lified to guide. Accordingly, their practice justified his sa- 
gacity. One of them particularly, who was called Praise 
God Barebone, a canting leather seller, gave his name to 
this odd assembly, and it was called Barebone's parliament. 
15. The very vulgar now began to exclaim against so 
foolish a legislature ; and they themselves seemed not insen- 
sible of the ridicule which every day was thrown out against 
them. Accordingly, by concert, they met earlier than the 
rest of their fraternity, and observing to each other that this 
parliament had sat long enough, they hastened to Crom- 
well, with Rouse their speaker at their head, and into his 
hands they resigned the authority with which he had invest- 
ed them. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What circumstances produced a war with the Dutch ? 

2. On what admiral did the English place their chief dependence ? 

3. To whom was Blake opposed ? 

4. What was the result of the war ? 

5. What petition did Cromwell persuade the officers to present ? 
7. In what manner did the parliament receive the petition ? 

7 — 11. Relate the particulars of this dispute, and its result. 

12. Of whom was the next parliament composed? and what was it called ? 

13. To whom did they resign their authority ? 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1653.) Cromwell accepted their resignation 
with pleasure ; but being told that some of the members 
were refractory, he sent colonel White to clear the house 
of such as ventured to remain there. They had placed one 
Moyer in the chair by the time that the colonel had arrived ; 
and being asked by the colonel what they did there, Moyer 
replied very gravely, that they were seeking the Lord. 
" Then may you go elsewhere," cried White ; " for to my 
certain knowledge, the Lord has not been here these many 
years." 

2. This shadow of a parliament being dissolved, the offi- 
cers, by their own authority, declared Cromwell protector 



240 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

of the commonwealth of England. He was to be addressed 
by the title of highness ; and his power was proclaimed in 
London, and other parts of the kingdom. Thus an obscure 
and vulgar man, at the age of fifty-three, rose to unbounded 
power : first by following small events in his favour, and at 
length by directing great ones. 

3. Cromwell chose his council from among his officers, 
who had been the companions of his dangers and his victo- 
ries, to each of whom he assigned a pension of one thousand 
pounds a year. He took care to have his troops, upon 
whose fidelity he depended for support, paid a month in ad- 
vance ; the magazines were also well provided, and the 
public treasure managed with frugality and care ; while his 
activity, vigilance, and resolution were such, that he disco- 
vered every conspiracy against his person, and every plot 
for an insurrection, before they took effect. 

4. His management of foreign affairs, though his schemes 
were by no means political, yet well corresponded with his 
character, and for a while were attended with success. The 
Dutch, having been humbled by repeated defeats, and totally 
abridged of their commercial concerns, were obliged at last 
to sue for peace, which he gave them upon terms rather too 
favourable. 5. He insisted upon their paying deference to 
the British flag ; he compelled them to abandon the interest 
of the king, and to pay eighty-five thousand pounds, as an 
indemnification for former expenses ; and to restore the 
English East India Company a part of those dominions of 
which they had been dispossessed by the Dutch, during the 
former reign, in that distant part of the world. 

6. He was not less successful in his negotiation with the 
court of France. Cardinal Mazarin, by whom the affairs 
of that kingdom were conducted, deemed it necessary to pay 
deference to the protector ; and desirous rather to prevail by 
dexterity than violence, submitted to Cromwell's imperious 
character, and thus procured ends equally beneficial to both. 

7. The court of Spain was not less assiduous in its endea- 
vours to gain his friendship, but was not so successful. 
This vast monarchy, which, but a few years before, had 
threatened the liberties of Europe, was now reduced so low 
as to be scarcely able to defend itself. Cromwell, however, 
who knew nothing of foreign politics, still continued to re- 
gard its power with an eye of jealousy, and came into an 
association with France to depress it still more. 8. He lent 
that court a body of six thousand men to attack the Spanish 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 241 

dominions in the Netherlands ; and, upon obtaining a signal 
victory by his assistance at Dunes, the French put Dunkirk, 
which they had just taken from the Spaniards, into his 
hands, as a reward for his attachment. 

9. But it was by sea that he humbled the power of Spain 
with still more effectual success. Blake, who had long 
made himself formidable to the Dutch, and whose fame was 
spread over Europe, now became still more dreadful to the 
Spanish monarchy. He sailed with a fleet into the Medi- 
terranean, whither, since the time of the crusades, no Eng- 
lish fleet had ever ventured to advance. He there conquered 
all that dared to oppose him. 10. Casting anchor before 
Leghorn, he demanded and obtained satisfaction for some 
injuries which the English commerce had suffered from the 
duke of Tuscany. He next sailed to Algiers, and compel- 
led the dey to make peace, and to restrain his piratical sub- 
jects from further injuring the English. 11. A.D. 1655. 
He then went to Tunis, and having made the same demands, 
was desired by the dey of that place to look at the two cas- 
tles, Porto Farino and Goletta, and do his utmost. Blake 
showed him that he was not slow in accepting the challenge ; 
entered that harbour, burned the shipping there, and then 
sailed out triumphantly to pursue his voyage. At Cadiz he 
took two galleons, valued at nearly two millions of dollars. 
12. At the Canaries he burned a Spanish fleet of six- 
teen ships ; and returning home to England, to enjoy the 
fame of his noble actions, as he came within sight of his na- 
tive country he expired. This gallant man, though he fought 
for an usurper, was yet adverse to his cause ; he was a zeal- 
ous republican in principle, and his aim was to serve his 
country, not to establish a tyrant. " It is still our duty," 
he would say to the seamen, " to fight for our country, into 
whatever hands the government may fall." 

13. At the same time that Blake's expeditions were going 
forward, there was another carried on under the command 
of admirals Penn and Venables, with about four thousand 
land forces, to attack the island of Hispaniola. Failing, how- 
ever, in this, and being driven off the place by the Spa- 
niards, they steered to Jamaica, which was surrendered to 
them without a blow. So little was thought of the import- 
ance of this conquest, that upon the return of the expedition, 
Penn and Venables were sent to the Tower, for their failure 
in the principal object of their expedition. 

14. But it must not be supposed that Cromwell's situation 

X 



242 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

was at that time enviable. Perhaps no situation, however 
mean or loaded with contempt, could be more truly distress- 
ing than his, at the time the nation were loading him with 
congratulations and addresses. He had by this time render- 
ed himself hateful to every party ; and he owed his safety 
to their mutual hatred and diffidence of each other. 15. His 
arts of dissimulation had been long exhausted ; none could 
now be deceived by them, those of his own party and prin- 
ciples disdained the use to which he had converted his zeal 
and professions. The truth seems to be, if we may use 
the phrase taken from common life, he had begun with being 
a dupe to his own enthusiasm, and ended with being a 
sharper. 

16. The whole nation silently detested his administration ; 
but he had not still been reduced to the extreme of wretch- 
edness, if he could have found domestic consolation. Fleet- 
wood, his son-in-law, actuated with the wildest zeal, detest- 
ed that character which could use religious professions for 
the purposes of temporal advancement. 17. His eldest 
daughter, married to Fleetwood, had adopted republican 
principles so vehemently, that she could not behold even 
her own father intrusted with uncontrollable power. His 
other daughters were no less sanguine in favour of the royal 
cause ; but, above all, Mrs. Claypole, his favourite daughter, 
upon her death-bed, upbraided him with all those crimes that 
had led him to trample on the throne. 

18. Every hour added some new disquietude. Lord 
Fairfax, sir William Waller, and many of the heads of the 
presbyterians, had secretly entered into an engagement to 
destroy him. His administration, so expensive both at home 
and abroad, had exhausted his revenue, and he was left con- 
siderably in debt. 19. One conspiracy was no sooner de- 
tected, than another rose from its ruins ; and, to increase the 
calamity, he was now taught, upon reasoning principles, that 
his death was not only desirable, but his assassination would 
be meritorious. A book was published by colonel Titus, a 
man who had formerly been attached to his cause, entitled, 
" Killing no Murder." 20. Of all the pamphlets that came 
forth at that time, or perhaps of those that have since ap- 
peared, this was the most eloquent and masterly. " Shall 
we," said this popular declaimer, " who would not suffer 
the lion to invade us, tamely stand to be devoured by the 
wolf ?" Cromwell read this spirited treatise, and was never 
seen to smile more. 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 243 

Questions for Examination. 

1. Mention what followed the resignation of this parliament. 

2. What important events succeeded I 

3 — 5. What were the first acts of Cromwell ? 

6, 7. In what manner did he act towards France and Spain I 

9 — 12. Relate the bold and successful enterprise oi admiral Blake. 

13. What other admirals did Cromwell employ ? and with what success? 

14, 15. What was Cromwell's situation at this time ? 
16, 17. What were his domestic troubles ? 

18. Who entered into an engagement to destroy him ? 

19. What effect had the pamphlet written by colonel Titus on him ? 



SECTION IV. 



1. (A.D. 1658.) All peace was now for ever banished 
from his mind ; and he found, that the grandeur to which 
he had sacrificed his former peace was only an inlet to fresh 
inquietudes. The fears of assassination haunted him in all 
his walks, and were perpetually present in his imagination, 
He wore armour under his clothes, and always kept pistols 
in his pockets. 2. His aspect was clouded by a settled 
gloom ; and he regarded every stranger with a glance of 
timid suspicion. He always travelled with hurry, and was 
ever attended by a numerous guard. He never returned 
from any place by the road he went; and seldom slept above 
three nights together in the same chamber. Society terrified 
him, as there he might meet an enemy ; solitude was terri- 
ble, as he was there unguarded by every friend. 

3. A tertian ague came kindly at last to deliver him from 
this life of horror and anxiety. For the space of a week no 
dangerous symptoms appeared ; and in the intervals of the 
fits he was able to walk abroad. At length the fever in- 
creased, and he became delirious. He was just able to an- 
swer yes to the demand, whether his son Richard should be 
appointed to succeed him. He died on the third day of 
September, the very day which he had always considered 
as the most fortunate of his life ; he was then fifty-nine years 
old, and had usurped the government nine years. 

4. Whatever might have been the difference of interests 
after the death of the usurper, the influence of his name was 
still sufficient to get Richard, his son, proclaimed protector 
in his room. But the army, discontented with such a lead- 
er, established a meeting at General Fleetwood's, which, as 
he dwelt at Wallingford-house, was called the cabal of Wal- 



244 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

lingford. The result of their deliberation was a remonstrance, 
that the command of the army should be intrusted to some per- 
son in whom they might all confide ; and it was plainly given 
to understand, that the young protector was not that person. 

5. Richard wanted resolution to defend the title that had 
been conferred upon him ; he soon signed his own abdica- 
tion in form, and retired to live, several years after his re- 
signation, at first on the continent, and afterwards upon his 
paternal fortune at home. He was thought by the ignorant 
to be unworthy the happiness of his exaltation ; but he 
knew, by his tranquillity in private, that he had made the 
most fortunate escape. 

6. The officers, being once more left to themselves, de- 
termined to replace the remnant of the old parliament which 
had beheaded the king, and which Cromwell had so dis- 
gracefully turned out of the house. 

7. The rump parliament, for that was the name it went 
by, being now reinstated, was yet very vigorous in its at- 
tempts to lessen the power by which it was replaced. The 
officers of the army, therefore, came to a resolution, usual 
enough in those times, to dissolve that assembly by which 
they were so vehemently opposed. 8. Accordingly, Lam- 
bert, one of the generals, drew up a chosen body of troops, 
and placing them in the streets which led to Westminster- 
hall, when the speaker, Lenthall, proceeded in his carriage 
to the house, he ordered the horses to be turned, and very 
civilly conducted him home. The other members were 
likewise intercepted, and the army returned to their quarters 
to observe a solemn feast, which generally either preceded 
or attended their outrages. 

9. During these transactions, general Monk was at the 
head of eight thousand veterans in Scotland, and beheld the 
distraction of his native country with but slender hopes of 
relieving it. 

10. Whatever might have been his designs, it was im- 
possible to cover them with greater secrecy than he did. 
As soon as he put his army in motion, to inquire into the 
causes of the disturbances in the capital, his countenance 
was eagerly sought by all the contending parties. He still, 
however, continued to march his army towards the capital ; 
the whole country equally in doubt as to his motives, and 
astonished at his reserve. But Monk continued his inflexi- 
ble taciturnity, and at last came to St. Alban's, within a few 
miles of London. 



THE COMMONWEALTH. 245 

11. He there sent the rump parliament, who had resumed 
their seat, a message, desiring them to remove such forces 
as remained in London to country quarters. In the mean 
time the house of commons, having passed votes for the 
composure of the kingdom, dissolved themselves, and gave 
orders for the immediate assembling a new parliament. 

12. As yet the new parliament was not assembled, and 
no person had hitherto dived into the designs of the general. 
(A.D. 1660.) He still persevered in his reserve ; and al- 
though the calling of a new parliament was but, in other 
words, to restore the king, yet his expressions never once 
betrayed the secret of his bosom. Nothing but a security 
of confidence at last extorted the confession from him. 13. 
He had been intimate with one Morrice, a gentleman of De- 
vonshire, of a sedentary, studious disposition, and with him 
alone did he deliberate upon the great and dangerous enter- 
prise of the restoration. Sir John Granville, who had a 
commission from the king, applied for access to the general ; 
he was desired to communicate his business to Morrice. 
14'. Granville refused, though twice urged, to deliver his 
message to any but the general himself; so that Monk, find- 
ing that he could depend upon this minister's secrecy, he 
opened to him his whole intentions ; but, with his usual 
caution, still scrupled to commit any thing to paper. In 
consequence of this, the king left the Spanish territories, 
where he very narrowly escaped being detained at Breda by 
the governor, under the pretence of treating him with proper 
respect and formality. From thence he retired into Hol- 
land, where he resolved to wait for further advice. 

15. At length the long-expected day for the sitting of a 
free parliament arrived. The affections of all were turned 
towards the king ; yet such were their fears, and such dan- 
gers attended a freedom of speech, that no one dared for 
some days to make any mention of his name. All this time 
Monk, with his usual reserve, tried their temper, and exa- 
mined the ardour of their wishes ; at length he gave direc- 
tions to Annesley, president of the council, to inform them 
that sir John Granville, a servant of the king, had been sent 
over by his majesty, and was now at the door with a letter 
to the commons. 

16. Nothing could exceed the joy and transport with 
which this message was received. The members, for a mo- 
ment, forgot the dignity of their situations, and indulged in 
a loud acclamation of applause. Granville was called in, 

x 2 



240 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



and the letter eagerly read. A moment's pause was scarcely 
allowed : all at once the house burst into an universal assent 
to the king's proposals ; and to diffuse the joy more widely, 
it was voted that the letter and indemnity should immediate- 
ly be published. 

17. Charles II. entered London on the twenty-ninth of 
May, which was his birth-day. An innumerable concourse 
of people lined the way wherever he passed, and rent the 
air with their acclamations. They had been so long dis- 
tracted by unrelenting factions, oppressed and alarmed by a 
succession of tyrannies, that they could no longer suppress 
these emotions of delight, to behold their constitution re- 
stored, or rather like a phenix, appearing more beautiful 
and vigorous from the ruins of its former conflagration. 

18. Fanaticism, with its long train of gloomy terrors, fled 
at the approach of freedom ; the arts of society and peace 
began to return ; and it had been happy for the people if 
the arts of luxury had not entered in their train. 



Questions for Examination. 
I, 2. What was the state of Cromwell's mind, and what was his conduct 

previous to his death ? 
3. When did he die ? at what age ? and how long did he reign ? 

5. What mode of life did Richard Cromwell prefer? 

6. What measures were now determined upon ? 

7. 8. What consequences followed ? 

9_12. What was now the conduct of general Monk ? 
13. In whom did general Monk confide ? 

16. Relate the particulars which preceded the king's restoration. 

17. At what time did Charles II. enter London? and what was his recep- 

tion? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Innocent X 1644 

Alexander VII 1655 

Emperors of Germany. 

Ferdinand III 1637 

Leopold 1658 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Mahomet IV 1649 



King of France. 

A.D. 

Louis XIV 1649 

King of Spain. 
Philip IV 1621 

Kings of Portugal. 

John IV 1640 

Alphonso 1656 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



King of Denmark. 

A.D. 

Frederick III 1648 

King and Queen of 
Sweden. 

Christiana 1 633 

Charles X 1653 



John Milton ; Waller ; Davenant ; Cowley ; sir John Denham ; Harring- 
ton ; Harvey ; Clarendon ; Selden ; Hobbs. Admirals Blake, Montague, &c. 
Generals Bradshaw, Ireton, Fairfax, Monk, Lambert, Fleetwood ; the earl of 
Essex ; sir Henry Vane ; Bulstrode Whitelocke, lord keeper. . 



CHARLES II. 247 

CHAPTER XXX. 

CHARLES If. 

Born 1630. Died February 6, 1685. Began to reign May 29, 1660. 
Reigned 24| years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1661.) When Charles came to the throne he 
was thirty years of age, possessed of an agreeable person, 
an elegant address, and an engaging manner. His whole 
demeanour and behaviour were well calculated to support 
and increase popularity. Accustomed, during his exile, to 
live cheerfully among his courtiers, he carried the same 
endearing familiarities to the throne ; and, from the levity 
of his temper, no injuries were dreaded from his former 
resentments. 2. But it was soon found that all these ad- 
vantages were merely superficial. His indolence and love 
of pleasure made him averse to all kinds of business ; his 
familiarities were prostituted to the worst as well as to the 
best of his subjects ; and he took no care to reward his 
former friends, as he had taken few steps to be avenged of 
his former enemies. 

3. Though an act of indemnity was passed, those who 
had an immediate hand in the king's death were excepted. 
Cromwell, Ireton, and Bradshaw, though dead, were con- 
sidered as proper objects of resentment ; their bodies were 
dug from their graves, dragged to the place of execution, 
and after hanging some time, buried under the gallows. 4. 
Of the rest who sat in judgment in the late monarch's 
trial, some were dead, and some thought worthy of pardon. 
Ten only, out of fourscore, were devoted to destruction. 
These were enthusiasts, who had all along acted from 
principle, and who, in the general spirit of rage excited 
against them, showed a fortitude that might do honour to a 
better cause. 

5. This was the time for the king to have made himself 
independent of all parliaments ; and it is said that South- 
ampton, one of his ministers, had thought of procuring his 
master, from the commons, the grant of a revenue of two 
millions a year, which would have effectually rendered him 



248 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

absolute ; but in this his views were obstructed by the 
great Clarendon, who, though attached to the king, was still 
more the friend ofliberty and the laws. 6. Charles, how- 
ever, was no way interested in these opposite views of his 
ministers ; he only desired money in order to prosecute his 
pleasures ; and, provided he had that, he little regarded the 
manner in which it was obtained. 

7. His continual exigencies drove him constantly to 
measures no way suited to his inclination. Among others 
was his marriage, celebrated at this time, with Catharine, 
infanta of Portugal, who, though a virtuous princess, pos- 
sessed, as it should seem, but few personal attractions. It 
was the portion of this princess that the needy monarch was 
enamoured of, which amounted to three hundred thousand 
pounds, together with the fortresses of Tangier in Africa, 
and of Bombay in the East Indies. 8. The chancellor 
Clarendon, the duke of Ormond, and Southampton urged 
many reasons against this match, particularly the likelihood 
of her never having any children ; but the king disregarded 
their advice, and the inauspicious marriage was celebrated 
accordingly. 

9. It was probably with a view of recruiting the supply 
for his pleasures that he was induced to declare war against 
the Dutch, as the money appointed for that purpose would 
go through his hands. In this naval war, which continued 
to rage for some years with great fierceness, much blood 
was spilt and great treasure exhausted, until at last a treaty 
was concluded at Breda, by which the colony of New York 
was ceded by the Dutch to the English, and considered as a 
most valuable acquisition. 

10. This treaty was considered as inglorious to the Eng- 
lish, as they failed in gaining any redress upon the com- 
plaints which give rise to it. Lord Clarendon particularly 
gained a share of blame, both for having advised an unne- 
cessary war, and then for concluding a disgraceful peace. 
He had been long declining in the king's favour, and he was 
no less displeasing to the majority of the people. 

11. This seemed the signal for the earl's enemies to step 
in, and effect his entire overthrow. A charge was opened 
against him in the house of commons, by Mr. Seymour, 
consisting of seventeen articles. These, which were only 
a catalogue of the popular rumours before mentioned, ap- 
peared, at first sight, false and frivolous. However, Cla- 
rendon, finding the popular torrent, united to the violence of 



CHARLES II. 249 

power, running with impetuosity against him, thought pro- 
per to withdraw to France. 

12. Having thus got rid of his virtuous minister, the king 
soon after resigned himself to the direction of a set of men, 
whoafierwards went by the appellation of the Cabal, from the 
initials of the names of which it was composed. 

13. The first of them, sir Thomas Clifford, was a man 
of a daring and impetuous spirit, rendered more dangerous 
by eloquence and intrigue. Lord Ashley, soon after known 
by the name of lord Shaftesbury, was turbulent, ambitious, 
subtle, and enterprising. The duke of Buckingham was 
gay, capricious, with some wit, and great vivacity. Arling- 
ton was a man of very moderate capacity ; his intentions 
were good, but he wanted courage to persevere in them. 
Lastly, the duke of Lauderdale, who was not defective in 
natural, and still less in acquired talents ; but neither was 
his address graceful, nor h'S understanding just; he was 
ambitious, obstinate, insolent, and sullen. 14. These were 
the men to whom Charles gave up the conduct of his affairs, 
and who plunged the remaining part of his reign in difficul- 
ties, which produced the most dangerous symptoms. 

15. From this inauspicious combination the people had 
entertained violent jealousies against the court. The fears 
and discontents of the nation were vented without restraint ; 
the apprehension of a popish successor, an abandoned court, 
and a parliament, which, though sometimes assertors of 
liberty, yet which had now continued for seventeen years 
without change, naturally rendered the minds of mankind 
timid and suspicious, and they only wanted objects on 
which to wreak their ill-humours. 

The gloom which hung over the public mind was still 
further increased by two fearful calamities. In the year 
1665 the plague broke out in London, and raged so dread- 
fully that 68,596 persons died within the bills of mortality. 
The following year was as fearfully distinguished by the 
great fire of London, in which 89 churches and 13,200 
houses were consumed. The ruins of the city extended 
over 436 acres, from the Tower along the river to the 
Temple, and from the north-east gate along the city wall 
to Holborn-bridge. Prompted by blind rage, some ascribed 
the guilt of this accidental conflagration to the republicans, 
others to the catholics ; though it is not easy to conceive 
how the burning of London could serve the purposes of 
either party. As the papists were the chief objects of 



250 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Dreadful fire in London. 1663. 



public detestation, the rumour which threw the guilt on 
them was favourably received by the people. No proof, 
however, or even presumption, after the strictest inquiry 
by a committee of parliament, ever appeared to authorize 
such a calumny ; yet in order to give countenance to the 
popular prejudice, the inscription engraved by authority on 
the monument ascribed the calamity to this hated sect. 
This clause was erased by James II. after his ascension, but 
was again restored after the revolution. So credulous, as 
well as obstinate, are the people in believing every thing 
which flatters their prevailing passions. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What engaging qualities did Charles possess? 

2. Were these advantages of outward behaviour solid ? 

3. 4. What proceedings were taken against those who were concerned in 

the king's death ? 
5. What proposition did Southampton make in favour of Charles, and who 

opposed it ? 
7. Whom did the king marry ? and what was his inducement? 
9. What is supposed to have induced the king to declare war against the 

Dutch? 

10. In what way did lord Clarendon incur blame ? 

11. To what country did Clarendon withdraw ? 

12. What appellation was given to the new ministers ? 

13. Who were they? 

15. What consequences followed their appointment? 



CHARLES II. 251 



SECTION II. 



1. (A. D. 1670.) When the spirit of the English is once 
roused, they either find objects of suspicion, or make them. 
On the 13th of August, one Kirby, a chemist, accosted the 
king, as he was walking in the Park. " Sir," said he, 
" keep within the company ; your enemies have a design 
upon your life, and you may be shot in this very walk." 
2. Being questioned in consequence of this strange intima- 
tion, he offered to produce one doctor Tongue, a weak, 
credulous clergyman, who told him that two persons, named 
Grove and Pickering, were engaged to murder the king ; 
and that sir George Wakeman, the queen's physician, had 
undertaken the same task by poison. 3. Tongue was intro- 
duced to the king with a bundle of papers relating to this 
pretended conspiracy, and was referred to the lord-treasurer 
Danby. He there declared that the papers were thrust under 
his door ; and he afterwards asserted that he knew the author 
of them, who desired that his name might be concealed, as 
he dreaded the resentment of the Jesuits. 

4. This information appeared so vague and unsatisfactory, 
that the king concluded the whole was a fiction. However, 
Tongue was not to be repressed in the ardour of his loyalty ; 
he went again to the lord-treasurer, and told him that a 
packet of letters, written by Jesuits concerned in the plot, 
was that night put into the post-house at Windsor, directed 
to one Bedingfield, a Jesuit, who was confessor to the duke 
of York, and who resided there. These letters had actually 
been received a few hours before by the duke; but he had 
shown them to the king as a forgery, of which he knew 
neither the drift nor the meaning. 

5. Titus Oates, who was the fountain of all this dreadful 
intelligence, was produced soon after, who, with seeming 
reluctance, came to give his evidence. This Titus Oates 
was an abandoned miscreant, obscure, illiterate, vulgar, and 
indigent. He had been once indicted for perjury, was after- 
wards chaplain on board a man-of-war, and dismissed for 
unnatural practices. 6. He then professed himself a Roman 
catholic, and crossed the sea to St. Orner's, where he was 
for some time maintained in the English seminary of that 
city. At a time that he was supposed to have been intrusted 
with a secret involving the fate of kings, he was allowed to 



252 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

remain in such necessity, that Kirby was obliged to supply 
him with daily bread. 

7. He had two methods to proceed ; either to ingratiate 
himself by this information with the ministry, or to alarm 
the people, and thus turn their fears to his advantage. He 
chose the latter method. 8. He went, therefore, with his 
companions, to sir Edmondsbury Godfrey, a noted and active 
justice of the peace, and before him deposed to a narrative 
dressed up in terrors fit to make an impression on the vulgar. 
The pope, he said, considered himself as entitled to the pos- 
session of England and Ireland, on account of the heresy of 
the prince and people, and had accordingly assumed the 
sovereignty of these kingdoms. 9. The king, whom the 
Jesuits called the Black Bastard, was solemnly tried by them, 
and condemned as a heretic. Grove and Pickering, to make 
sure work, were employed to shoot the king, and that too 
with silver bullets. The duke of York was to be offered 
the crown in consequence of the success of these probable 
schemes, on condition of extirpating the protestant religion. 
Upon his refusal, " To pot James must go !" as the Jesuits 
were said to express it. 

10. In consequence of this dreadful information, suffi- 
ciently marked with absurdity, vulgarity, and contradictions, 
Titus Oates became the favourite of the people, notwith- 
standing, during his examination before the council, he so 
betrayed the grossness of his impostures, that he contradicted 
himself in every step of his narration. 

11. A great number of the Jesuits mentioned by Oates 
were immediately taken into custody. Coleman, secretary 
to the duke of York, who was said to have acted so strenuous 
a part in the conspiracy, at first retired, and next day sur- 
rendered himself to the secretary of state ; and some of his 
papers, by Oates's directions, were secured. 

12. In this fluctuation of passions an accident served to 
confirm the prejudices of the people, and to put it beyond a 
doubt that Oates's narrative was nothing but the truth. 

Sir Edmondsbury Godfrey, who had been so active in un- 
ravelling the whole mystery of the popish machinations, 
after having been missing some days, was found dead in a 
ditch by Primrose-hill, in the way to Hampstead. 13. The 
cause of his death remains, and must still continue, a secret ; 
but the people, already enraged against the papists, did not 
hesitate a moment to ascribe it to them. The body of God- 
frey was carried through the streets in procession, preceded 



CHARLES II. 253 

by seventy clergymen ; and every one who saw it made no 
doubt that his death could be only caused by the papists. 
14. Even the better sort of people were infected with the 
vulgar prejudice ; and such was the general conviction of 
popish guilt, that no person, with any regard to personal 
safety, could express the least doubt concerning the informa- 
tion of Oates, or the murder of Godfrey. 

15. In order to continue and propagate the alarm, the 
parliament affected to believe it true. An address was voted 
for a solemn fast. It was requested that all papers tending 
to throw light upon so horrible a conspiracy might be laid 
before the house ; that all papists should remove from Lon- 
don ; that access should be denied at court to all unknown 
and suspicious persons ; and that the train-bands in London 
and Westminster should be in readiness to march. 1 6. Oates 
was recommended to parliament by the king. He was lodged 
in Whitehall, and encouraged by a pension of twelve hundred 
pounds a year to proceed in forging new informations. 

The encouragement given to Oates did not fail to bring in 
others also, who hoped to profit by the delusion of the times. 
17. William Bedloe, a man, if possible, more infamous than 
Oates, appeared next upon the stage. He was, like the 
former, of very low birth, and had been noted for several 
cheats and thefts. This man, at his own desire, was arrested 
at Bristol, and conveyed to London, where he declared before 
the council that he had seen the body of sir Edmondsbury 
Godfrey at Somerset-house, where the queen lived. 18. He 
said that a servant of Lord Bellasis offered to give him four 
thousand pounds if he would carry it off; and, finding all 
his information greedily received, he confirmed and height- 
ened Oates's plot with aggravated horrors. 

19. Thus encouraged by the general voice in their favour, 
the witnesses, who had all along enlarged their narratives in 
proportion as they were eagerly received, went a step further, 
and ventured to accuse the queen. The commons, in an 
address to the king, gave countenance to this scandalous ac- 
cusation ; the lords rejected it with becoming disdain. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. In what manner did Kirby address the king? 
2 — 4. Relate the circumstances of a pretended conspiracy. 
5. What was the character of the principal actor in this business ? 
7 — 11. By what means did he proceed ? 
12—14. What accident served to confirm die prejudices of the people ? 



254 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

15. What means were taken to continue the alarm ? 

16. How was Oates treated by the government ? 

17. What other delusion followed ? 

19. Whom did they afterwards venture to accuse ? 



SECTION III. 

1. (A. D. 1675.) Edward Coleman, secretary to the duke 
of York, was the first who was brought to trial, as being 
most obnoxious to those who pretended to fear the introduc- 
tion of popery. Bedloe swore that he received a commis- 
sion, signed by the superior of the Jesuits, appointing him 
papal secretary of state, and that he had consented to the 
king's assassination. 2. After this unfortunate man's sen- 
tence, thus procured by these vipers, many members of both 
houses offered to interpose in his behalf, if he would make 
ample confession ; but as he was, in reality, possessed of no 
treasonable secrets, he would not procure life by falsehood 
and imposture. He suffered with calmness and constancy ; 
and, to the last, persisted in the strongest protestations of his 
innocence. 

3. The trial of Coleman was succeeded by those of Ire- 
land, Pickering, and Grove. They protested their inno- 
cence, but were found guilty. The unhappy men went to 
execution protesting their innocence, a circumstance which 
made no impression on the spectators ; but their being Jesuits 
banished even pity for their sufferings. 

4. Hill, Green, and Berry were tried upon the evidence 
of one Miles Prance, for the murder of Godfrey ; but though 
Bedloe's narrative and Prance's information were totally 
irreconcileable, and though their testimony was invalidated 
by contrary evidence, all was in vain : the prisoners were 
condemned and executed. They all denied their guilt at 
execution ; and, as Berry died a protestant, this circumstance 
was regarded as very considerable. 

5. Whitebread, provincial of the Jesuits, Fenwick, Gaven, 
Turner, and Harcourt, all of them of the same order, were 
brought to their trial ; and Langhorne soon after. Besides 
Oates and Bedloe, Dugdale, a new witness, appeared against 
the prisoners. This man spread the alarm still further, and 
even asserted that two hundred thousand papists in England 
were ready to take up arms. 6. The prisoners proved, by 



CHARLES II. 255 

sixteen witnesses from St. Oraer's, that Oates was in that 
seminary at the time he swore he was in London. But, as 
they were papists, their testimony could gain no manner of 
credit. All pleas availed them nothing: but the Jesuits and 
Langhorne were condemned and executed ; with their last 
breath denying the crime for which they died. 

7. The informers had less success on the trial of sir 
George Wakeman, the queen's physician, who, though they 
swore with their usual animosity, was acquitted. His con- 
demnation would have involved the queen in his guilt ; and 
it is probable the judge and jury were afraid of venturing 
so far. 

8. The earl of Stafford, nearly two years after, was the 
last man that fell a sacrifice to these bloody wretches ; the 
witnesses produced against him were Oates, Dugdale, and 
Tuberville. Oates swore that he saw Fenwick, the Jesuit, 
deliver Stafford a commission from the general of the Jesuits, 
constituting him paymaster of the papal army. 9. The 
clamour and outrage of the populace against the prisoner 
was' very great : he was found guilty, and condemned to be 
hanged and quartered ; but the king changed his sentence 
into that of beheading. He was executed on Tower-hill, 
where even his persecutors could not forbear shedding tears 
at that serene fortitude which shone in every feature, motion, 
and accent of this aged nobleman. 

10. This parliament had continued to sit for seventeen 
years without interruption, wherefore a new one was called ; 
in which was passed the celebrated statute, called the Habeas 
Corpus Act, which confirms the subject in an absolute se- 
curity from oppressive power. By this act it was prohibited 
to send any one to prison beyond the sea : no judge, under 
severe penalties, was to refuse to any prisoner his writ of 
habeas corpus ; by which the jailer was to produce in court 
the body of the prisoner, whence the writ had its name, and 
to certify the cause of his detainer and imprisonment. 

11. If the jail lie within twenty miles Gf the judge, the 
writ must be conveyed in three days, and so proportionably 
for greater distances. Every prisoner must be indicted the 
first term of his commitment, and brought to trial the sub- 
sequent term ; and no man, after being enlarged by court, 
can be recommitted for the same offence. 

12. The Meal-tub Plot, as it was called, soon followed 
the former. One Dangerfield, more infamous, if possible, 
than Oates and Bedloe, a wretch who had been set in the 



250 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

pillory, scourged, branded, and transported for felony and 
coining, hatched a plot, in conjunction with a midwife, 
whose name was Cellier, a Roman catholic of abandoned 
character. Dangerfield began by declaring that there was 
a design on foot to set up a new form of government, and 
remove the king and the royal family. 13. He communi- 
cated this intelligence to the king and the duke of York, 
who supplied him with money, and countenanced his dis- 
covery. He hid some seditious papers in the lodgings of 
one colonel Mansel : and then brought the custom-house 
officers to his apartment, to search for smuggled merchan- 
dise. The papers were found ; and the council, having 
examined the affair, concluded they were forged by Danger- 
field. 14. They ordered all the places he frequented to be 
searched ; and in the house of Cellier the whole scheme of 
the conspiracy was discovered upon paper, concealed in a 
meal-tub, from whence the plot had its name. Dangerfield, 
being committed to Newgate, made an ample confession of 
the forgery, which, though probably entirely of his own 
contrivance, he ascribed to the earl of Castlemain, the 
countess of Powis, and the five lords in the Tower. 15. He 
said that the design was to suborn witnesses to prove a 
charge of sodomy and perjury upon Oates, to assassinate the 
earl of Shaftesbury, to accuse the dukes of Monmouth and 
Buckingham, the earls of Essex, Halifax, and others, of 
having been concerned in the conspiracy against the king 
and his brother. Upon this information the earl of Castle- 
main and the countess of Powis were sent to the Tower, 
and the king himself was suspected of encouraging this im- 
posture. 

16. The chief point which the present house of commons 
laboured to obtain was the exclusion bill, which, though 
the former house had voted, was never passed into a law. 
Shaftesbury, and many considerable men of the party, had 
rendered themselves so obnoxious to the duke of York, that 
they could find safety in no measure but in his ruin. Mon- 
mouth's friends hoped that the exclusion of James would 
make room for their own patron. 17. The duke of York's 
professed bigotry to the catholic superstition influenced 
numbers : and his tyrannies, which were practised without 
control, while he continued in Scotland, rendered his name 
odious to thousands. In a week, therefore, after the com- 
mencement of the session, a motion was made for bringing 
in a bill for excluding him from the succession to the throne, 



CHARLES II. 257 

and a committee was appointed for that purpose. The 
debates were carried on with great violence on both sides. 
The king was present during the whole debate ; and had 
the pleasure of seeing the bill thrown out by a very great 
majority. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. Who was first brought to trial ? 

2. What was his behaviour at his execution ? 

3. 4. Who were the next that suffered ? 

5. What others were tried for their lives ? 

6. By what means did they prove their innocence ? 

7. Which of the accused was acquitted ? 

8. Who was the last that fell a victim to these wretches ? 
What was the evidence against him ? 

9. What sentence was passed upon the earl of Stafford ? 
What effect had his fortitude on the beholders of his death? 

10, 11. What were the particulars of the Habeas Corpus Act? 

12. What plot was now laid, and who was the principal actor in it? 

13. How and when was it discovered ? 

16, 17. What now engaged the attention of the Commons? 



SECTION IV. 



1. (A.. D. 1683.) Each party had for some time reviled 
and ridiculed the other in pamphlets and libels ; and this 
practice at last was attended with an accident that deserves 
notice. One Fitzharris, an Irish papist, dependent on 
the dutchess of Portsmouth, one of the king's mistresses, 
used to supply her with these occasional publications. 
2. But he was resolved to add to their number by his own 
endeavours ; and he employed one Everhard, a Scotch- 
man, to write a libel against the king and the duke of 
York. The Scot was actually a spy for the opposite party ; 
and supposing this a trick to entrap him, he discovered 
the whole to sir William Waller, an eminent justice of 
peace ; and to convince him of the truth of this informa- 
tion, posted him and two other persons, privately, where 
they heard the whole conference between Fitzharris and 
himself. 3. The libel composed between them was replete 
with the utmost rancour and scurrility. Waller carried the 
intelligence to the king, and obtained a warrant for com- 
mitting Fitzharris, who happened at that very time to have 
a copy of the libel in his pocket. Seeing himself in the 
hands of a party from which he expected no mercy, he 
y2 



258 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

resolved to side with them, and throw the odium of the 
libel on the court, who, he said, were willing to draw out a 
libel which should be imputed to the exclusioners, and thus 
render them hateful to the people. 4. He enhanced his 
services with the country party by a new popish plot, still 
more tremendous than any of the foregoing. He brought 
in the duke of York, as a principal accomplice in the plot, 
and as a contriver in the murder of sir Edmondsbury 
Godfrey. 

5. The king imprisoned Fitzharris ; the commons avowed 
his cause. They voted that he should be impeached by 
themselves, to secure him from the ordinary forms of jus- 
tice ; the lords rejected the impeachment; the commons 
asserted their right ; a commotion was likely to ensue ; 
and the king, to break off the contest, went to the house, 
and dissolved the parliament, with a fixed resolution never 
to call another. 

6. This vigorous measure was a blow that the parlia- 
ment had never expected ; and nothing but the necessity 
of the times could have justified the king's manner of 
proceeding. From that moment, which ended the parlia- 
mentary commotions, Charles seemed to rule with despotic 
power, and he was resolved to leave the succession to his 
brother, but clogged with all the faults and misfortunes of 
his own administration. 7. His temper, which had always 
been easy and merciful, now became arbitrary, and even 
cruel ; he entertained spies and informers round the throne, 
and imprisoned all such as he thought most daring in their 
designs. 

8. He resolved to humble the presbyterians ; these were 
divested of their employments and their places ; and their 
offices given to such as held with the court, and approved 
the doctrine of non-resistance. The clergy began to testify 
their zeal and their principles by their writings and their 
sermons ; but though, among these the partisans of the king 
were the most numerous, those of the opposite faction were 
the most enterprising. 9. The king openly espoused the 
cause of the former ; and thus placing himself at the head 
of a faction, he deprived the city of London, which had 
long headed the popular party, of their charter. It was not 
till after an abject submission that he returned it to them, 
having previously subjected the election of their magistrates 
to his immediate authority. 

10, Terrors also were not wanting to confirm this new 



ciiarles ii. 259 

species of monarchy. Fitzharris was brought to trial be- 
fore a jury, and condemned and executed. The whole 
gang of spies, witnesses, informers, and suborners, which 
had long been encouraged and supported by the leading 
patriots, finding now that the king was entirely master, 
turned short upon their ancient drivers, and offered their 
evidence against those who had first put them in motion. 
The king's ministers, with a horrid satisfaction, gave them 
countenance and encouragement ; so that soon the same 
cruelties, and the same injustice, were practised against 
presby terian schemes, that had been employed against catho- 
lic treasons. 

11. The first person that fell under the displeasure of the 
ministry was one Stephen College, a London joiner, who 
had become so noted for his zeal against popery, that he 
went by the name of the protestant joiner. He had at- 
tended the cit}'" members to Oxford, armed with sword and 
pistol ; he had been sometimes heard to speak irreverently 
of the king, and was now presented by the grand jury of 
London as guilty of sedition. 12. A jury, at Oxford, after 
half an hour's deliberation, brought him in guilty, and the 
spectators testified their inhuman pleasure with a shout of 
applause. He bore his fate with unshaken fortitude; and 
at the place of execution denied the crime for which he had 
been condemned. 

13. The power of the crown became at this time irre- 
sistible (A. D. 1683), the city of London having been de- 
prived of their charter, which was restored only upon terms 
of submission ; and the giving up the nomination of their 
own magistrates was so mortifying a circumstance, that all 
the other corporations in England soon began to fear the 
same treatment, and were successively induced to surrender 
their charters into the hands of the king. Considerable 
sums were exacted for restoring these charters ; and all the 
offices of power and profit were left at the disposal of the 
crown. 14. Resistance now, however justifiable, could not 
be safe, and all prudent men saw no other expedient, but 
peaceably submitting to the present grievances. But there 
was a party in England that still cherished their former 
ideas of freedom, and were resolved to hazard every danger 
in its defence. 

15. The duke of Monmouth, the king's natural son by 
Mrs. Waters, engaged the earl of Macclesfield, lord Bran- 
don, sir Gilbert Gerrard, and other gentlemen in Cheshire, 



260 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

in his cause. Lord Russel fixed a correspondence with 
sir William Courtney, sir Francis Rowles, and sir Francis 
Drake, who promised to raise the west. Shaftesbury, 
with one Ferguson, an independent clergyman, and a rest- 
less plotter, managed the city, upon which the confederates 
chiefly relied. It was now that this turbulent man found 
his schemes most likely to take effect. 

16. After the disappointment and destruction of a hun- 
dred plots, he at last began to be sure of this. But this 
scheme, like all the former, was disappointed. The caution 
of lord Russel, who induced the duke of Monmouth to put 
off the enterprise, saved the kingdom from the horrors of a 
civil war ; while Shaftesbury was so struck with the sense 
of his impending danger, that he left his house, and lurking 
about the city, attempted, but in vain, to drive the London- 
ers into open insurrection. 17. At last, enraged at the 
numberless cautions and delays which clogged and defeated 
his projects, he threatened to begin with his friends alone. 
However, after a long struggle between fear and rage, he 
abandoned all hopes of success, and fled out of the kingdom 
to Amsterdam, where he ended his turbulent life soon 
after, without being pitied by his friends or feared by his 
enemies. 



Questions for Examination. 

1, 2. What incident next deserves notice ? 

3, 4. How did the commons act on this occasion ? and what was the conse- 
quence? 
5. How did the dispute end between the king and parliament ? 

7. What was now the temper of the king? 

8. How did the clergy act ? 

9. Of what did the king deprive the city of London ? 

10. What was now the conduct of the spies? 

11, 12. Who first fell under the ministry's displeasure ? and on what occa- 

sion? 
13, 14. What resulted from the great power of the crown? 

15. By whom was resistance made ? 

16, 17. What was the issue of it? 



SECTION V. 

1. (A. D. 1684.) The loss of Shaftesbury, though it re- 
tarded the views of the conspirators, did not suppress them. 
A council of six was elected, consisting of Monmouth, Rus- 



CHARLES II. 261 

sel, Essex, Howard, Algernon Sidney, and John Hampden, 
grandson to the great man of that name. 

2. Such, together with the duke of Argyle, were the 
leaders of this conspiracy. But there was also a set of 
subordinate conspirators, who frequently met together and 
carried on projects quite unknown to Monmouth and his 
council. Among these men were colonel Rumsey, an old 
republican officer, together with lieutenant-colonel Walcot, 
of the same stamp ; Goodenough, under-sheriff of London, 
a zealous and noted party -man ; Ferguson, an independent 
minister ; and several attorneys, merchants, and tradesmen 
of London. 3. But colonel Rumsey and Ferguson were 
the only persons that had access to the great leaders of the 
conspiracy. These men in their meetings embraced the 
most desperate resolutions. They proposed to assassinate 
the king on his way to Newmarket; Rumbal, one of the 
party, possessed a farm upon that road called the Rye-house, 
and from thence the conspiracy was denominated the Rye- 
house plot. 4. They deliberated upon a scheme of stopping 
the king's coach, by overturning a cart on the highway at 
this place, and shooting him through the hedges. The 
house in which the king lived at Newmarket took fire ac- 
cidentally, and he was obliged to leave Newmarket eight 
days sooner than was expected, to which circumstance his 
safety was ascribed. 

5. Among the conspirators was one Keiling, who finding 
himself in danger of a prosecution for arresting the lord- 
mayor of London, resolved to earn his pardon by discover- 
ing this plot to the ministry. Colonel Rumsey, and West, 
a lawyer, no sooner understood that this man had informed 
against them, than they agreed to save themselves by turning 
king's evidence, and they surrendered themselves accord- 
ingly. 6. Monmouth absconded ; Russel was sent to the 
Tower; Grey escaped; Howard was taken, concealed in a 
chimney ; Essex, Sidney, and Hampden were soon after 
arrested, and had the mortification to find lord Howard an 
evidence against them. 

7. Walcot was first brought to trial and condemned, 
together with Hone and Rouse, two associates in the con- 
spiracy, upon the evidence of Rumsey, West, and Shep- 
pard. They died penitent, acknowledging the justness of 
the sentence by which they were executed. A much 
greater sacrifice was shortly after to follow. This was the 
lord Russel, son of the earl of Bedford, a nobleman of num- 



262 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

berless good qualities, and led into this conspiracy from a 
conviction of the duke of York's intention to restore popery. 
8. He was liberal, popular, humane, and brave. All his 
virtues were so many crimes in the present suspicious dis- 
position of the court. The chief evidence against him was 
lord Howard, a man of very bad character, one of the con- 
spirators, who was now contented to take life upon such 
terms, and to accept of infamous safety. 9. This witness 
swore that Russel was engaged in the design of an insur- 
rection ; but he acquitted him, as he did also Rumsey and 
West, of being privy to the assassination. The jury, who 
were zealous royalists, after a short deliberation, brought 
the prisoner in guilty, and he was condemned to suffer be- 
heading. The scaffold for his execution was erected in 
Lincoln-inn-fields ; he laid his head on the block without 
the least change of countenance, and at two strokes it was 
severed from his body. 

10. The celebrated Algernon Sidney, son to the earl of 
Leicester, was next brought to his trial. He had been 
formerly engaged in the parliamentary army against the late 
king, and was even named on the high court of justice that 
tried him, but he had not taken his seat among the judges. 
11. He had ever opposed Cromwell's usurpation, and went 
into voluntary banishment on the restoration. His affairs, 
however, requiring his return, he applied to the king for a 
pardon, and obtained his request. But all his hopes and all 
his reasonings were formed upon republican principles. For 
his adored republic he had written and fought, and went 
into banishment and ventured to return. 12. It may easily 
be conceived how obnoxious a man of such principles was 
to a court that now was not even content to be without 
limitations to its power. They went so far as to take illegal 
methods to procure his condemnation. The only witness 
that deposed against Sidney was lord Howard, and the law 
required two. 13. In order, therefore, to make out a se- 
cond witness, they had recourse to a very extraordinary ex- 
pedient. In ransacking his closet, some discourses on go- 
vernment were found in his own handwriting, containing 
principles favourable to liberty, and in themselves no way 
subversive of a limited government. By overstraining, some 
of these were construed into treason. 14. It was in vain 
he alleged that papers were no evidence ; that it could not 
be proved they were written by him; that, if proved, the 
papers themselves contained nothing criminal. His defence 



CHARLES II. 263 

was overruled ; the violent and inhuman Jefferies, who was 
now chief-justice, easily prevailed on a partial jury to bring 
him in guilty, and his execution followed soon after. 15. 
One can scarce contemplate the transactions of this reign 
without horror. Such a picture of factious guilt on each 
side ; a court at once immersed in sensuality and blood, a 
people armed against each other with the most deadly ani- 
mosity, and no single party to be found with sense enough 
to stem the general torrent of rancour and factious suspicion. 

Hampden was tried soon after, and as there was nothing 
to affect his life, he was fined forty thousand pounds. Hol- 
loway, a merchant of Bristol, who had fled to the West In- 
dies, was brought over, condemned, and executed. Sir 
Thomas Armstrong also, who had fled to Holland, was 
brought over, and shared the same fate. 17. Lord Essex, 
who had been imprisoned in the Tower, was found in an 
apartment with his throat cut ; but whether he was guilty 
of suicide, or whether the bigotry of the times might not 
have induced some assassin to commit the crime, cannot now 
be known. 

This was the last blood that was shed for an imputation 
of plots or conspiracies, which continued during the greatest 
part of this reign. 

18. At this period the government of Charles was as ab- 
solute as that of any monarch in Europe ; but, happily for 
mankind, his tyranny was but of short duration. The king 
was seized with a sudden fit, which resembled an apoplexy ; 
and although he was recovered by bleeding, yet he languish- 
ed only for a few days, and then expired, in the fifty-fifth 
year of his age, and twenty-fifth of his reign. During his 
illness some clergymen of the church of England attended 
him, to whom he discovered a total indifference. Catholic 
priests were brought to his bedside, and from their hands he 
received the rites of their communion. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What new conspiracy was formed ? 

2. Who were the subordinate conspirators ? 

3. 4. What were their desperate resolutions ? 

5. In what manner was this plot discovered ? 

6. What was the fate of the conspirators ? 

7. What eminent nobleman was concerned in this conspiracy ? 

8. Describe the character of lord Russel. 
Who was principal evidence against him ? 

9. Where did lord Russel suffer ? 

10. Who was the next brought to trial ? 



264 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



11. Describe the character and conduct of Algernon Sidney. 

12, 13. What methods were taken to procure his condemnation ? 

14. Was his defence attended to X and by whom was he tried ? 

15. What dreadful picture did the kingdom now present? 
16, 17. What other persons suffered ? 

18. Describe the manner of the death of the king. 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Alexander VII.... 1655 

Clement IX 1667 

Innocent XI 1676 

Clement X 1679 

Emperor of Germany. 
Leopold 1658 



Emperor of ike Turks. 

A.D. 

Mahomet IV 1649 

King of France. 
Louis XIV 1643 

Kings of Spain. 

Philip IV 1621 

Charles II 1665 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of Portugal. A.D. 

Alphonso VI 1656 

Pedro II 1688 

Kings of Denmark. 

Frederick III 1648 

Christian V 1670 

King of Sweden. 
Charles XI 1660 



Hyde, earl of Clarendon ; Villiers, duke of Buckingham ; Butler, duke of 
Ormond ; Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury ; sir William Temple ; Algernon Sid- 
ney ; Wentworth Dillon, earl of Roscommon ; R. Boyle, earl of Orrery ; G. 
Mackenzie, earl of Cromarty; G. Monk, duke of Albemarle; C. Stanley, 
earl of Derby; Montague, earl of Sandwich ; J. Powlett, marquis of Win- 
chester ; W. Cavendish, duke of Newcastle ; G. Digby, earl of Bristol ; Den- 
zil, lord Hollis ; Dudley, lord North ; J. Touchet, earl of Castlehaven and 
baron Audley ; H. Pierpoint, marquis of Dorchester ; J. Wilmot, earl of Ro- 
chester ; Anthony Ashley ; Heneage Finch, earl of Nottingham ; Francis 
North, lord-keeper Guildford; J. Robarts, earl of Radnor; Arthur Annesley, 
earl of Anglesea ; marquis of Argyle ; H. Finch, earl of Winchelsea; A. Ca- 
rey, lord Falkland; Anne, countess of Dorset, Pembroke, and Montgomery ; 
Margaret, dutchess of Newcastle. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



JAMES II. 

Born 1633. Began to reign February 6, 1685. Abdicated the throne 
January 22, 1688. Reigned 2£ years. 



SECTION I. 



1. (A.D. 1685.) The duke of York, who succeeded his 
brother by the title of king James the second, had been bred 
a papist by his mother, and was strongly bigoted to his 
principles. He went openly to mass .with all the ensigns 
of his dignity, and even sent one Caryl as his agent to Rome, 



JAMES II. 265 

to make submission to the pope, and to pave the way for the 
readmission of England into the bosom of the catholic 
church. 

2. A conspiracy, set on foot by the duke of Monmouth, 
was the first disturbance in this reign. He had, since his 
last conspiracy, been pardoned, but was ordered to depart 
the kingdom, and had retired to Holland. Being dismissed 
from thence by the prince of Orange, upon James's acces- 
sion he went to Brussels, where finding himself still pursued 
by the king's severity, he resolved to retaliate, and make an 
attempt upon the kingdom. 3. He had ever been the dar- 
ling of the people, and some averred that Charles had mar- 
ried his mother, and owned Monmouth's legitimacy at his 
death. The duke of Argyle seconded his views in Scot- 
land, and they formed the scheme of a double insurrection ; 
so that, while Monmouth should attempt to make a rising in 
the west, Argyle was also to try his endeavours in the 
north. 

4. Argyle was the first who landed in Scotland, where he 
published his manifestos, put himself at the head of two 
thousand five hundred men, and strove to influence the peo- 
ple in his cause. But a formidable body of the king's forces 
coming against him, his army fell away, and he himself, 
after being wounded in attempting to escape, was taken pri- 
soner by a peasant, who found him standing up to his neck 
in a pool of water. He was from thence carried to Edin- 
burgh, where, after enduring many indignities with a gallant 
spirit, he was publicly executed. 

5. Meanwhile Monmouth was by this time landed in 
Dorsetshire, with scarcely a hundred followers. However, 
his name was so popular, and so great was the hatred of the 
people both for the person and religion of James, that in 
four days he had assembled a body of above two thousand 
men. 

6. Being advanced to Taunton, his numbers had increased 
to six thousand men ; and he was obliged every day, for 
want of arms, to dismiss numbers who crowded to his stand- 
ard. He entered Bridge water, Wells, and Frome, and was 
proclaimed in all those places ; but he lost the hour of action 
in receiving and claiming these empty honours. 

7. The king was not a little alarmed at his invasion ; but 
still more so at the success of an undertaking that at first ap- 
peared desperate. Six regiments of British troops were 
recalled from Holland, and a body of regulars, to the num- 

Z 



266 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ber of three thousand men, were sent, under the command of 
the earls of Feversham and Churchill, to check the progress 
of the rebels. 8. They took post at Sedgemore, a village 
in the neighbourhood of Bridge water, and were joined by 
the militia of the county in considerable numbers. It was 
there that Monmouth resolved, by a desperate effort, to lose 
his life or gain the kingdom. The negligent disposition 
made by Feversham invited him to the attack ; and his faith- 
ful followers showed what courage and principle could do 
against discipline and numbers. 9. They drove the royal 
infantry from their ground, and were upon the point of gain- 
ing the victory, when the misconduct of Monmouth, and the 
cowardice of lord Grey, who commanded the horse, brought 
all to ruin. This nobleman fled at the first onset ; and the 
rebels being charged in flank by the victorious army, gave 
way, after three hours' contest. 10. About three hundred 
were killed in the engagement, and a thousand in the pur- 
suit ; and thus ended an enterprise rashly begun, and more 
feebly conducted. 

Monmouth fled from the field of battle about twenty miles, 
till his horse sunk under him. He then alighted, and chang- 
ing his clothes with a shepherd, fled on foot, attended by a 
German count, who had accompanied him from Holland. 
11. Being quite exhausted with hunger and fatigue, they 
both lay down in a field, and covered themselves with fern. 
The shepherd being found in Monmouth's clothes by the 
pursuers, increased the diligence of the search ; and by the 
means of blood-hounds he was detected in this miserable 
situation, with raw peas in his pocket, which he had gathered 
in the fields to sustain life. 12. He wrote the most sub- 
missive letters to the king; and that monarch, willing to 
feast his eyes with the miseries of a fallen enemy, gave him 
an audience. At this interview the duke fell upon his knees, 
and begged his life in the most abject terms. He even 
signed a paper, offered him by the king, declaring his own 
illegitimacy ; and then the stern tyrant assured him that his 
crime was of such a nature as could not be pardoned. 13. 
The duke, perceiving that he had nothing to hope from the 
clemency of his uncle, recollected his spirits, rose up, and 
retired with an air of disdain. He was followed to the scaf- 
fold with great compassion from the populace. He warned 
the executioner not to fall into the same error which he had 
committed in beheading Russel, where it had been necessary 
to redouble the blow. 14. But this only increased the se- 



JAMES II. 267 

verity of the punishment ; the man was seized with an uni- 
versal trepidation, and he struck a feeble blow, upon which 
the duke raised his head from the block, as if to reproach 
him ; he gently laid down his head a second time, and the 
executioner struck him again and again to no purpose. He 
at last threw the axe down ; but the sheriff compelled him 
to resume the attempt, and at two more blows the head was 
severed from the body. 15. Such was the end of James, 
duke of Monmouth, the darling of the English people. He 
was brave, sincere, and good-natured, open to flattery, and 
by that seduced into an enterprise which exceeded his capa- 
city. 

16. But it were well for the insurgents, and fortunate for 
the king, if the blood that was now shed had been thought 
a sufficient expiation for the late offence. The victorious 
army behaved with the most savage cruelty to the prisoners 
taken after the battle. Feversham, immediately after the 
victory, hanged up above twenty prisoners. 

17. The military severities of the commanders were still 
inferior to the legal slaughters committed by judge Jefferies, 
who was sent down to try the delinquents. The natural 
brutality of this man's temper was inflamed by continual in- 
toxication. He told the prisoners, that if they would save 
him the trouble of trying them, they might expect some fa- 
vour, otherwise he would execute the law upon them with 
the utmost severity. 18. Many poor wretches were thus 
allured into a confession, and found that it only hastened 
their destruction. No less than eighty were executed at 
Dorchester ; and, on the whole, at Exeter, Taunton, and 
Wells, two hundred and fifty-one are computed to have 
fallen by the hands of the executioner. 



Questions for Examination. 

1 . In what manner did James act on succeeding to the throne ? 

2, 3. What was the first disturbance in this reign ? and who were the prin- 

cipals concerned in it ? 
4. What success attended Argyle's attempt ? 
5 — 10. Relate the particulars of Monmouth's invasion. 

11. In what situation was he found ? 

12. What was his conduct after he was taken ? 
13, 14. Relate what happened at his execution. 

15. What was his character ? 

16. How were the prisoners treated ? 

17. What was the conduct of judge Jefferies ? 

18. How many rebels are said to have been executed? 



268 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



SECTION II. 



1. (A.D. 1686.) In ecclesiastical matters, James proceed- 
ed with still greater injustice. Among those who distin- 
guished themselves against popery was one Dr. Sharpe, a 
clergyman of London, who declaimed with just severity 
against those who changed their religion by such arguments 
as the popish missionaries were able to produce. 2. This 
being supposed to reflect upon the king, gave great offence 
at court ; and positive orders were given to the bishop of 
London to suspend Sharpe, till his majesty's pleasure should 
be further known. The bishop refused to comply ; and the 
king resolved to punish the bishop himself for disobe- 
dience. 

3. To effect his design, an ecclesiastical commission was 
issued out, by which seven commissioners were invested 
with a full and unlimited authority over the whole church 
of England. Before this tribunal the bishop was summoned, 
and not only he, but Sharpe, the preacher, suspended. 

4. The next step was to allow the liberty of conscience 
to all sectaries ; and he was taught to believe, that the truth 
of the catholic religion would then, upon a fair trial, gain 
the victory. He, therefore, issued a declaration of general 
indulgence, and asserted that non-conformity to the esta- 
blished religion was no longer penal. 

5. To complete his work, he publicly sent the earl of 
Castlemain ambassador extraordinary to Rome, in order to 
express his obedience to the pope, and to reconcile his king- 
dom to the catholic communion. Never was there so much 
contempt thrown upon an embassy that was so boldly un- 
dertaken. The court of Rome expected but little success 
from measures so blindly conducted. They were sensible 
that the king was openly striking at those laws and opinions, 
which it was his business to undermine in silence and se- 
curity. 

6. The Jesuits soon after were permitted to erect colleges 
in different parts of the kingdom ; they exercised the catho- 
lic worship in the most public manner ; and four catholic 
bishops, consecrated in the king's chapel, were sent through 
the kingdom to exercise their episcopal functions, under the 
title of apostolic vicars. 



JAMES II. 269 

7. Father Francis, a Benedictine monk, was recommend- 
ed by the king to the university of Cambridge, for a degree 
of master of arts. But his religion was a stumbling-block 
which the university could not get over ; and they pre- 
sented a petition, beseeching the king to recall his mandate. 
8. Their petition was disregarded, and their deputies denied 
a hearing : the vice-chancellor himself was summoned to 
appear before the high commission court, and deprived of 
his office ; yet the university persisted, and father Francis 
was refused. 

9. The place of president of Magdalen college, one of the 
richest foundations in Europe, being vacant, the king sent a 
mandate in favour of one Farmer, a new convert to popery, 
and a man of bad character in other respects. The fellows 
of the college made very submissive applications to the king 
for recalling his mandate ; they refused admitting the candi- 
date ; and James, finding them resolute in the defence of 
their privileges, ejected them all except two. 

10. A second declaration for liberty of conscience was 
published about the same time with the former ; but with 
this peculiar injunction, that all divines should read it after 
service in their churches. (A. D. 1688.) The clergy were 
known universally to disapprove of these measures, and they 
were now resolved to disobey an order dictated by the most 
bigoted motives. They were determined to trust their cause 
to the favour of the people, and that universal jealousy which 
prevailed against the encroachment of the crown. 11. The 
first champions of this service of danger were Loyde, bishop 
of St. Asaph ; Ken, of Bath and Wells ; Turner, of Ely ; 
Lake, of Chichester; White, of Peterborough; and Tre- 
lawney, of Bristol. These, together with Sancroft, the pri- 
mate, concerted the address, in the form of a petition to the 
king, which, with the warmest expressions of zeal and sub- 
mission, remonstrated that they could not read his declaration 
consistent with their consciences, or the respect they owed 
the protestant religion. 

12. The king in a fury summoned the bishops before the 
council, and there questioned them whether they would ac- 
knowledge their petition. They for some time declined 
giving an answer ; but being urged by the chancellor, they 
at last owned it. On their refusal to give bail, an order was 
immediately drawn for their commitment to the Tower, and 
the crown lawyers received directions to prosecute them for 
a seditious libel. 

z 2 



270 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. In what way did Dr. Sharpe give offence to the king ? 

2. What was the conduct of James on that occasion? 

3. By what means did he effect his design ? 

4. What was his next step ? 

5. Whom did he send ambassador extraordinary to Rome ? and how was the 

the embassy received ? 

6. Relate the further proceedings of James. 
9. What took place at Magdalen college ? 

10. What were the consequences of another declaration ? 

11. Who were the first that disobeyed the king's mandate? 

12. In what manner did James act on this occasion? 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1688.) The twenty-ninth day of June was fixed 
for their trial ; and their return was more splendidly attended 
than their imprisonment. The cause was looked upon as in- 
volving the fate of the nation ; and future freedom, or future 
slavery, awaited the decision. The dispute was learnedly 
managed by the lawyers on both sides. 2. Holloway and 
Powel, two of the judges, declared themselves in favour of 
the bishops. The jury withdrew into a chamber, where 
they passed the whole night; but next morning they returned 
into court, and pronounced the bishops not guilty. 3. West- 
minister-hall instantly rang with loud acclamations, which 
were communicated to the whole extent of the city. They 
even reached the camp at Hounslow, where the king was at 
dinner, in lord Feversham's tent. His majesty demanded 
the cause of these rejoicings, and being informed that it 
was nothing but the soldiers shouting at the delivery of the 
bishops, " Call you that nothing?" cried he ; "but so much 
the worse for them !" 

4. It was in this posture of affairs that all people turned 
their eyes upon William, prince of Orange, who had married 
Mary, the eldest daughter of king James. 

William was a prince who had, from his earliest entrance 
into business, been immersed in dangers, calamities, and 
politics. The ambition of France, and the jealousies of Hol- 
land, had served to sharpen his talents, and to give him a 
propensity for intrigue. 

5. This politic prince now plainly saw that James had 
incurred the most violent hatred of his subjects. (A. D. 



JAMES II. 271 

1688.) He was minutely informed of their discontents ; and 
by seeming to discourage, still farther increased them, hoping 
to gain the kingdom for himself in the sequel. 

6. The time when the prince entered upon this enterprise 
was just when the people were in a flame about the recent 
insult offered to their bishops. He had before this made 
considerable augmentations to the Dutch fleet, and the ships 
were then lying ready in the harbour. Some additional 
troops were also levied, and sums of money raised for other 
purposes were converted to the advancement of this expe- 
dition. 

7. So well concerted were his measures, that, in three 
days, above four hundred transports were hired ; the army 
fell down the rivers and canals from Nimeguen, with all ne- 
cessary stores ; and the prince set sail from Helvoetsluys, 
with a fleet of nearly five hundred vessels, and an army of 
above fourteen thousand men. 

It was given out that this invasion was intended for the 
coast of France ; and many of the English, who saw the fleet 
pass 'along their coasts, little expected to see it land on their 
own shores. Thus, after a voyage of two days, the prince 
landed his army at the village of Broxholme, in Torbay, on 
the fifth of November, which was the anniversary of the 
gunpowder treason. 

8. But though the invitation from the English was very 
general, the prince had for some time the mortification to 
find himself joined by very few. He marched first to Exe- 
ter, where the country people had been so much terrified at 
the executions which had ensued on Monmouth's rebellion, 
that they continued to observe a strict neutrality. 9. He 
remained for ten days in expectation of being joined by the 
malecontents, and at last began to despair of success. But, 
just when he began to deliberate about re-embarking his 
forces, he was joined by several persons of consequence, and 
the whole country soon after came flocking to his standard. 
The nobility, clergy, officers, and even the king's own ser- 
vants and creatures, were unanimous in deserting James. 
10. Lord Churchill had been raised from the rank of a page, 
and had been invested with a high command in the army ; 
had been created a peer, and owed his whole fortune to the 
king's bounty ; even he deserted among the rest, and carried 
with him the duke of Grafton, the natural son of the late 
king, colonel Berkeley, and some others. 

11. The prince of Denmark, and Anne, his favourite 



272 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

daughter, perceiving the desperation of his circumstances, 
resolved to leave him, and take part with the prevailingside. 
When he was told that the prince and princess had followed 
the rest of his favourites, he was stung with most bitter 
anguish. " God help me," cried he, in the extremity of his 
agony, " my own children have forsaken me!" 

12. The king, alarmed every day more and more with 
the prospect of a general disaffection, was resolved to hearken 
to those who advised his quitting the kingdom. To prepare 
for this, he first sent away the queen, who arrived safely at 
Calais, under the conduct of count Lauzun, an old favourite 
of the French king. He himself soon after disappeared in 
the night-time, attended only by sir Edward Hale, a new 
convert : but was discovered and brought back by the mob. 

But shortly after, being confined at Rochester, and ob- 
serving that he was entirely neglected by his own subjects, 
he resolved to seek safety from the king of France, the only 
friend he had still remaining. 14. He accordingly fled to 
the sea-side, attended by his natural son, the duke of Ber- 
wick, where he embarked for the continent, and arrived in 
safety at Ambleteuse in Picardy, from whence he hastened 
to the court of France, where he still enjoyed the empty 
title of a king, and the appellation of a saint, which flat- 
tered him more. 

15. The king having thus abdicated the throne, the next 
consideration was the appointing a successor. (A.D. 1688.) 
Some declared for a regent ; others, that the princess of 
Orange should be invested with regal power, and the young 
prince considered as supposititious. After a long debate in 
both houses, a new sovereign was preferred to a regent, by 
a majority of two voices. It was agreed that the prince 
and princess of Orange should reign jointly as king and 
queen of England, while the administration of government 
should be placed in the hands of the prince only. 



Questions for Examination. 

1 — 3. Relate the circumstances which attended the bishops' trial. 

4. To whom did the people look for deliverance ? 

5. What was the situation of the people when William entered upon this 

enterprise ? 
7. What measures did William concert to effect the invasion of England ? 
Where did he land ? 

10. By whom was the king deserted ? 

1 1 . What exclamation did the king make when he was told that the prince 

and princess had forsaken him ? 



WILLIAM III. 273 



12. What resolution did the king adopt ? 

14. To what court did James repair ? 

15. What followed the king's abdication ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Pope. 

A.D. 

Innocent XI 1676 

Emperor of Germany. 
Leopold 1658 

Emperors of the Turks. 
Mahomet IV 1649 



A.D. 

SolymanI 1687 

King of France- 
Louis XIV 1643 

King of Spain. 
Charles II 1665 



EMINENT PERSONS. 



King of Portugal. 

A.D. 

Pedro II 1683 

King of Denmark. 
Christian V 1678 

King of Sweden. 
Charles XI 1660 



The duke of Monmouth. Spencer, earl of Sunderland. Prince James, 
otherwise called the Pretender. Judge Jefferies. Colonel Kirk. G. Savile, 
marquis of Halifax. George, earl of Berkeley. Thomas Osborne, duke of 
Leeds. H. Booth, lord Delamore, and earl of Warrington. C. Sackville, 
earl Dorset. H. Cavendish, duke of Devonshire. J. Thomson, lord Ha- 
versham. Colin Lindsey, earl of Balcarras. James Dalrymple, viscount 
Stair. R. Graham, viscount Preston. Roger Palmer, earl of Castlemain. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

WILLIAM III. 



Born 1650. Died March 8, 1702. Landed in England November 5, 1688. 
Began to reign January 22, 1689. Reigned 13 years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.D. 1687.) William was no sooner elected to the 
throne, than he began to experience the difficulty of govern- 
ing a people, who were more ready to examine the com- 
mands of their superiors than to obey them. 

2. His reign commenced with an attempt similar to that 
which had been the principal cause of all the disturbances 
in the preceding reign, and which had excluded the monarch 
from the throne. William was a Calvinist, and consequently 
averse to persecution ; he therefore began by attempting 
those laws which enjoined uniformity of worship ; and, 
though he could not entirely succeed in his design, a tolera- 
tion was granted to such dissenters as should take the oaths 
of allegiance, and hold no private conventicle. 

3. In the mean time, James, whose authority was still 



274 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

acknowledged in Ireland, embarked at Brest for that kingdom, 
and on May 22d arrived at Kinsale. He soon after made 
his public entry into Dublin, amidst the acclamations of the 
inhabitants. He found the appearance of things in that 
country equal to his most sanguine expectations. Tyrconnel, 
the lord-lieutenant, was devoted to his interests ; his old 
army was steady, and a new one raised, amounting together 
to nearly forty thousand men. 

4. As soon as the season would permit, he went to lay 
siege to Londonderry, a town of small importance in itself, 
but rendered famous by the stand it made on this occasion. 

5. The besieged endured the most poignant sufferings 
from fatigue and famine, until at last relieved by a store- 
ship, that happily broke the boom laid across the river to 
prevent a supply. The joy of the inhabitants at this unex- 
pected relief was only equalled by the rage and disappoint- 
ment of the besiegers. The army of James was so dispirited 
by the success of this enterprise, that they abandoned the 
siege in the night; and retired with precipitation, after 
having lost about nine thousand men before the place. 

6. It was upon the opposite sides of the river Boyne that 
both armies came in sight of each other, inflamed with all 
the animosities arising from a difference of religion, hatred, 
and revenge. (A.D. 1690.) The river Boyne at this place 
was not so deep but that men might wade over on foot ; 
however, the banks were rugged, and rendered dangerous 
by old houses and ditches, which served to defend the latent 
enemy. 7. William, who now headed the protestant army, 
had no sooner arrived, but he rode along the side of the 
river in sight of both armies, to make proper observations 
upon the plan of battle ; but in the mean time, being per- 
ceived by the enemy, a cannon was privately brought out, 
and planted against him where he was sitting. The shot 
killed several of his followers, and he himself was wounded 
in the shoulder. 

8. Early the next morning, at six o'clock, king William 
gave orders to force a passage over the river. This the 
army undertook in three different places ; and, after a furious 
cannonading, the battle began with unusual vigour. The 
Irish troops, though reckoned the best in Europe abroad, 
have always fought indifferently at home. 9. After an 
obstinate resistance, they fled with precipitation, leaving the 
French and Swiss regiments, who came to their assistance, 
to make the best retreat they could. William led on his 



WILLIAM III. 275 




Battle of Augbrim and death of General St. Ruth. 

horse in person ; and contributed by his activity and vigi- 
lance to secure the victory. James was not in the battle* 
but stood aloof during the action, on the hill of Dunmore, 
surrounded with some squadrons of horse ; and at intervals 
was heard to exclaim, when he saw his own troops repuls- 
ing those of the enemy, " O spare my English subjects !" 

10. The Irish lost about fifteen hundred men, and the 
protestants about one-third of that number. The victory 
was splendid, and almost decisive ; but the death of the 
duke of Schomberg, who was shot as he was crossing the 
water, seemed to outweigh the whole loss sustained by the 
enemy. 

11. The last battle fought in favour of James was at 
Aughrim. (A.D. 1691.) The enemy fought with surpris- 
ing fury, and the horse were several times repulsed ; but 
the English wading through the middle of a bog up to the 
waist in mud, and rallying with some difficulty on the firm 
ground on the other side, renewed the combat with great 
fury. 12. St. Ruth, the Irish general, being killed, his 
fate so discouraged his troops, that they gave way on all 
sides, and retreated to Limerick, where they resolved to 
make a final stand, after having lost above five thousand of 
the flower of their army. 13. Limerick, the last retreat 
of the Irish forces, made a brave defence : but soon seeing 
the enemy advanced within ten paces of the bridge-foot, 
and perceiving themselves surrounded on all sides, they 
determined to capitulate ; a negotiation was immediately 
begun, and hostilities ceased on both sides. 14. The Ro- 



276 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

man catholics, by this capitulation, were restored to the 
enjoyment of those liberties in the exercise of their religion, 
which they had possessed in the reign of king Charles the 
Second. All persons were indulged with free leave to re- 
move with their families and effects to any other country, 
except England and Scotland. In consequence of this, 
above fourteen thousand of those who had fought for king 
James went over into France, having transports provided by 
government for conveying them thither. 



Questions for Examination. 
1, 2. What were the first acts of William ? 

3. In what manner was James received in Ireland ? 

4. What was the state of affairs in that country ? 

5. Relate the particulars of the siege of Londonderry. 

6. Where did the armies first meet ? 

7. By what means was William wounded ? 

8. 9. What was the issue of this battle ? 

Describe the conduct of the rival kings during this engagement. 

10. What loss did each side sustain ? 

11. Where was the next battle fought ? 

12. How many of the Irish fell in this engagement ? 

13. What was the last place of their retreat ? 

14. What were the articles of their capitulation ? 



SECTION II 

1. (A.D. 1692.) James was now reduced to the lowest 
state of despondence : his designs upon England were quite 
frustrated, so that nothing was left his friends but the hopes 
of assassinating the monarch on the throne. These base 
attempts, as barbarous as they were useless, were not en- 
tirely disagreeable to the temper of James. 2. It is said he 
encouraged and proposed them ; but they all proved unser- 
viceable to his cause, and only ended in the destruction of 
the undertakers. From that time till he died, which was 
about seven years, he continued to reside at St. Germains, 
a pensioner on the bounty of Louis, and assisted by occa- 
sional liberalities from his daughter and friends in England. 
He died on the sixteenth day of September, in the year 
1700, after having laboured under a tedious sickness ; and 
many miracles, as the people thought, were wrought at his 
tomb. 3. Indeed, the latter part of his life was calculated 
to inspire the superstitious with reverence for his piety. 
He subjected himself to acts of uncommon penance and 



WILLIAM III. 277 

mortification. He frequently visited the poor monks of La 
Trappe, who were edified by his humble and pious deport- 
ment. 4. His pride and arbitrary temper seemed to have 
vanished with his greatness ; he became affable, kind, and 
easy to all his dependants ; and at his last illness conjured 
his son to prefer religion to every worldly advantage, — a 
counsel which that prince strictly obeyed. He died with 
great marks of devotion, and was interred, at his own request, 
in the church of the English benedictines at Paris, without 
any funeral solemnity. 

5. William, upon accepting of the crown, was resolved 
to preserve, as much as he was able, that share of preroga- 
tive which still was left him. But at length he became 
fatigued with opposing the laws which parliament every day 
were laying round his authority, and gave up the contest. 
6. He admitted every restraint upon the prerogative in Eng- 
land, upon condition of being properly supplied with the 
means of humbling the power of France. War, and the 
balance of power in Europe, were all he knew, or indeed 
desired to understand. Provided the parliament furnished 
him with supplies for these purposes, he permitted them to 
rule the internal polity at their pleasure. 7. For the prose- 
cution of the war with France, the sums of money granted 
to him were incredible. The nation, not content with fur- 
nishing him with such sums of money as they were capable 
of raising by the taxes of the year, mortgaged these taxes, 
and involved themselves in debts which they have never 
since been able to discharge. 8. For all that profusion of 
wealth granted to maintain the imaginary balance of Europe, 
England received in return the empty reward of military 
glory in Flanders, and the consciousness of having given 
their allies, particularly the Dutch, frequent opportunities 
of being ungrateful. 

The war with France continued during the greatest part of 
this king's reign ; but at length the treaty of Ryswick, A.D. 
1697, put an end to those contentions, in which England had 
engaged without policy and came off without advantage. 

9. In the general pacification her interests seemed entirely 
deserted ; and for all the treasures she had sent to the con- 
tinent, and all the blood which she had shed there, the 
only equivalent she received was an acknowledgment of 
king William's title from the king of France. 

10. William was naturally of a very feeble constitution : 
and it was by this time almost exhausted by a series of con- 

2 A 



278 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

tinual disquletuoe and action. He had endeavoured to re- 
pair his constitution, or at least to conceal its decays, by- 
exercise and riding. On the twenty-first day of February, in 
riding to Hampton-court from Kensington, his horse fell 
under him, and he was thrown with such violence, that his 
collar-bone was fractured. His attendants conveyed him to 
the palace at Hampton-court, where the fracture was re- 
duced, and in the evening he returned to Kensington in his 
coach. 11. The jolting of the carriage disunited the frac- 
ture once more, and the bones were again replaced, under 
Bidloo, his physician. This in a robust constitution would 
have been a trifling misfortune ; but in him it was fatal. 
For some time he appeared in a fair way of recovery ; but, 
falling asleep on his couch, he was seized with a shivering, 
which terminated in a fever and diarrhoea, which soon be- 
came dangerous and desperate. 11. Perceiving his end 
approaching, the objects of his former care still lay next his 
heart ; and the fate of Europe seemed to remove the sensa- 
tions he might be supposed to feel for his own. The earl 
of Albemarle arriving from Holland, he conferred with him 
in private on the posture of affairs abroad. Two days after, 
having received the sacrament from archbishop Tenison, he 
expired in the fifty-second year of his age, after having 
reigned thirteen years. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. To what situation was James reduced ? and what were the designs of his 

friends ? 

2. When and where did James die ? 

3. How did the exiled monarch spend the latter part of his life ? 

4. What counsel did he give to his son in his last illness ? 

5. What was William's resolution on accepting the crown ? 

6. Did his actions correspond with that resolution ? 

7. In what manner did William act ? 

8. 9. What consequences resulted from the war with France ? 

10,11. What accident happened to William? and what were the conse- 
quences? 
12. What object lay nearest his heart? 

How long did William reign, and what was his age ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Alexander VIII.... 1G89 

Innocent XII 1691 

Clement XI 1700 

Emperor of Germany. 
Leopold 1658 

Emperors of the Turks. 



a.d. I King of Portugal. 

Achmetll 1691 a.d. 

Mustaphall 1695! Pedro II 1683 



Kins of France. 
Louis XIV 1643 

Kings of Spain. 
Charles II.: 1665 



Soliman III 1687 Philip V 1700 



King of Denmark. 
Christian V 1670 

Kings of Sweden. 

Charles XI* 1660 

Charles XII 1691 



279 



EMINENT PERSONS. 



Sir Isaac Newton. John Locke. Archbishop Tillotson. Bishop Burnet. 
Duke Schomberg. General Schomberg, son of the duke. Montague, earl 
Halifax. Russel, earl of Oxford. John, lord Somers. Anthony Ashley 
Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury (grandson to the nobleman mentioned in a lormer 
reign). Sheffield, duke of Buckingham. John, lord Cutts. Admiral Russel 
lord Berkley, &c. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

ANNE. 



Born 1664. Died August, 1714. Began to reign March 8 1702. Reigned 
12£ years. 

SECTION I. 

1. ,(A.D. 1702.) Anne, married to prince George of 
Denmark, ascended the throne in the thirty-eighth year of 
her age, to the general satisfaction of all parties. She was 
the second daughter of king James, by his first wife, the 
daughter of chancellor Hyde, afterwards earl of Clarendon. 
Upon coming to the crown, she resolved to declare war 
against France, and communicated her intentions to the 
house of commons, by whom it was approved, and war was 
proclaimed accordingly. 

2. This declaration of war, on the part of the English, 
was seconded by similar declarations by the Dutch and 
Germans on the same day. The French monarch could not 
suppress his anger at such a combination, but his chief re- 
sentment fell upon the Dutch. He declared with great emo- 
tion, that, as for these gentlemen pedlars, the Dutch, they 
should one day repent their insolence and presumption in 
declaring war against one whose power they had formerly 
felt and dreaded. 3. However, the affairs of the allies 
were no way influenced by his threats. The duke of Marl- 
borough had his views gratified, in being appointed general 
of the English forces : and he was still farther flattered by 
the Dutch, who, though the earl of Athlone had a right to 
share the command, appointed Marlborough generalissimo 
of the allied army. 4. And it must be confessed, that few 
men shone more, either in debate or action, than he ; serene 
in the midst of danger, and indefatigable in the cabinet; so 



280 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




that he became the most formidable enemy to France that 
England ever produced, since the conquering times of Cressy 
and Agincourt. 

5. A great part of the history of this reign consists in bat- 
tles fought upon the continent, which, though of very little 
advantage to the interest of the nation, were very great 
additions to its honour. These triumphs, it is true, are 
passed away, and nothing remains of them but the names of 
Blenheim, Ramilies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet, where the 
allied army gained great, but (with respect to England) use- 
less victories. 

6. A conquest of much greater national importance was 
gained with less expense of blood and treasure in Spain. 
The ministry of England, understanding that the French 
were employed in equipping a strong squadron in Brest, 
sent out sir Cloudesly Shovel and sir George Rooke to watch 
their motions. Sir George, however, had further orders to 
convoy a body of forces in transport-ships to Barcelona, upon 
which a fruitless attack was made by the prince of Hesse. 
7. Finding no hopes, therefore, from this expedition, in two 
days after the troops were re-embarked, sir George Rooke, 
joined by sir Cloudesly, called a council of war on board 
the fleet, as they lay off the coast of Africa. In this they 
resolved to make an attempt upon Gibraltar, a city then be- 
longing to the Spaniards, at that time ill provided with a 
garrison, as neither expecting nor fearing such an attempt. 



ANNE. 281 

8. The town of Gibraltar stands upon a tongue of land, 
as the mariners call it, and defended by a rock inaccessible 
on every side but one. The prince of Hesse landed his 
troops, to the number of eight hundred, on the continent ad- 
joining, and summoned the town to surrender, but without 
effect. 9. Next day the admiral gave orders for cannonading 
the town; and, perceiving that the enemy were driven from 
their fortifications at a place called the South Mole Head, 
ordered captain Whitaker to arm all the boats, and assault 
that quarter. Those officers who happened to be nearest 
the Mole immediately manned their boats without orders, 
and entered the fortifications sword in hand. 10. But they 
were premature ; for the Spaniards sprung a mine, by which 
two lieutenants and about one hundred men were killed 
or wounded. Nevertheless, the two captains, Hicks and 
Jumper, took possession of a platform, and kept their ground 
until they were sustained by captain Whitaker, and the rest 
of the seamen, who took a redoubt between the Mole and 
the town by storm. Then the governor capitulated, and 
the prince of Hesse entered the place, amazed at the success 
of the attempt, considering the strength of the fortifications. 
11. When the news of this conquest was brought to Eng- 
land, it was for some time in debate whether it was a cap- 
ture worth thanking the admiral for. It was at last consi- 
dered as unworthy public gratitude; and, while the duke of 
Marlborough was extolled for useless services, sir George 
Rooke was left to neglect, and soon displaced from his com- 
mand for having so essentially served his country. A strik- 
ing instance, that, even in the most enlightened age, popular 
applause is most usually misplaced. 12. Gibraltar has ever 
since remained in the possession of the English, and continues 
of the utmost use in refitting that part of the navy destined 
to annoy an enemy, or protect our trade in the Mediterra- 
nean. Here the English have a repository capable of con- 
taining all things necessary for the repairing of fleets or the 
equipment of armies. 

13. While the English were thus victorious by land and 
sea, a new scene of contention was opened on the side of 
Spain, where the ambition of the European princes exerted 
itself with the same fury that had filled the rest of the conti- 
nent. Philip the Fourth, grandson of Louis the Fourteenth, 
had been placed upon the throne of that kingdom, and had 
been received with the joyful concurrence of the greatest part 
of his subjects. 14. He had also been nominated successor 

2 a2 



282 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

to the crown by the late king of Spain's will. But, in a 
former treaty among the powers of Europe, Charles, son of 
the emperor of Germany, was appointed heir to that crown ; 
and this treaty had been guaranteed by France herself, though 
she now resolved to reverse that consent in favour of a de- 
scendant of the house of Bourbon. 15. Charles was still 
farther led on to put in for the crown of Spain by the invi- 
tations of the Catalonians, who declared in his favour, and 
by the assistance of the English and the Portuguese, who 
promised to arm in his cause. He was furnished with two 
hundred transports, thirty ships of war, and nine thousand 
men, for the conquest of that extensive empire. But the 
earl of Peterborough, a man of romantic bravery, offered to 
conduct them ; and his single service was thought equiva- 
lent to armies. 

16. The earl of Peterborough was one of the most sin- 
gular and extraordinary men of the age in which he lived. 
When yet but fifteen, he fought against the Moors in Africa ; 
at twenty he assisted in compassing the revolution, and he 
now carried on the war in Spain almost at his own expense ; 
his friendship for the duke Charles being one of his chief 
motives to this great undertaking. He was deformed in his 
person ; but of a mind the most generous, honourable, and 
active. His first attempt upon landing in Spain was the 
taking of Barcelona, a strong city, with a garrison of five 
thousand men, while the whole army amounted to little more 
than nine thousand. The prince of Hesse was killed in this 
action. 

17. These successes, however, were but of short continu- 
ance ; Peterborough being recalled, and the army under 
Charles being commanded by the lord Galway. This no- 
bleman, having received intelligence that the enemy, under 
the command of the duke of Berwick, was posted near the 
town of Almanza, he advanced thither to give him battle. 
18. The conflict began about two in the afternoon, and the 
whole front of each army was fully engaged. The centre, 
consisting chiefly of battalions from Great Britain and Hol- 
land, seemed at first victorious ; but the Portuguese horse, 
by whom they were supported, betaking themselves to flight 
in the first charge, the English troops were flanked and sur- 
rounded on every side. 19. In this dreadful emergency 
they formed themselves into a square, and retired to an emi- 
nence, where being ignorant of the country, and destitute of 
all supplies, they were obliged to surrender prisoners o? 



ANNE. 



283 




Death of the prince of Hesse at Barcelona. 

war, to the number of ten thousand men. This victory was 
complete and decisive ; and all Spain, except the province 
of Catalonia, returned to their duty to Philip their sovereign. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who succeeded William ? 

Against whom did Anne declare war ? 

2. How did the French monarch express his anger ? 

3. Who was appointed generalissimo ? 

4. What is his character ? 

5. Where did the nation gain great victories ? 

6. 7. What important conquest was next obtained ? 
8— 10. Relate the particulars. 

11. What opinion did the nation entertain of it? 

12. Was not this opinion unfounded ? 

13 — 15. What new scenes of contention arose ? 

16. What were the character and conduct of the earl of Peterborough ? 

18, 19. Relate the particulars of the battle of Almanza. 



SECTION II. 



1. (A.D. 1707.) The councils of the queen had hitherto 
been governed by a whig ministry ; for, though the duke 
of Marlborough had first started in the tory interest, he soon 
joined the opposite faction, as he found them most sincere 



284 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

in their desires to humble the power of France. The whigs, 
therefore, still pursued the schemes of the late king ; and 
impressed with a republican spirit of liberty, strove to 
humble despotism in every part of Europe. 2. In a go- 
vernment, where the reasoning of individuals, retired from 
power, generally leads those who command, the designs of 
the ministry must alter as the people happen to change. 
The people, in fact, were beginning to change. But pre- 
vious to the disgrace of the whig ministry, whose fall was 
now hastening, a measure of the greatest importance took 
place in parliament; a measure that had been wished by 
many, but thought too difficult for execution. 3. What I 
mean is, the union between the two kingdoms of England 
and Scotland ; which though they were governed by one 
sovereign since the accession of James the First, yet were 
still ruled by their respective parliaments, and often professed 
to pursue opposite interests and different designs. 

4. The attempt for an union was begun at the commence- 
ment of this reign; but some disputes arising relative to the 
trade of the East, the conference was broken up, and it was 
thought that an adjustment would be impossible. 5. It was 
revived by an act in either parliament, granting power to 
commissioners, named on the part of both nations, to treat 
on the preliminary articles of an union, which should after- 
wards undergo a more thorough discussion by the legislative 
body of both kingdoms. The choice of these commission- 
ers was left to the queen, and she took care that none should 
be employed but such as heartily wished to promote so de- 
sirable a measure. 

6. Accordingly, the queen having appointed commission- 
ers on both sides, they met in the council-chamber of the 
Cockpit, near Whitehall, which was the place appointed for 
the conferences. As the queen frequently exhorted the 
commissioners to despatch, the articles of this famous Union 
were soon agreed to, and signed by the commissioners ; and 
it only remained to lay them before the parliaments of both 
nations. 

7. In this famous treaty it was stipulated that the succes- 
sion to the united kingdom should be vested in the house 
of Hanover ; that the united kingdoms should be represented 
by one and the same parliament ; that all the subjects of 
Great Britain should enjoy a communion of privileges and 
advantages. 8. That they should have the same allowance 
and privileges, with respect to commerce and customs ; that 



ANNE. 285 

the laws concerning public right, civil government, and 
policy, should be the same through the two united king- 
doms ; but that no alteration should be made in the laws 
which concerned private rights, except for the evident benefit 
of the subjects of Scotland. 9. That the courts of session, 
and all other courts of judicature in Scotland, should re- 
main, as then constituted by the laws of that kingdom, with 
the same authority and privileges as before the union ; and 
that Scotland should be represented in the parliament of 
Great Britain by sixteen peers and forty-live commoners, to 
be elected in such a manner as should be settled by the 
present parliament of Scotland. 10. That all peers of Scot- 
land should be considered as peers of Great Britain, and 
rank immediately after the English peers of the like degree 
at the time of the union, and before such as should be 
created after it; that they should enjoy all privileges of 
English peers, except that of sitting or voting in parliament, 
or sitting upon the trial of peers ; and that all the insignia 
of royalty and government should remain as they were. 
11. That all laws or statutes in either kingdom, as far as 
they may be inconsistent with the terms of these articles, 
should cease, and be declared void by the respective parlia- 
ments of the two kingdoms. These were the principal 
articles of the union ; and it only remained to obtain the 
sanction of the legislature of both kingdoms to give them 
authority. 

12. The arguments of these different assemblies were 
suited to the audience. To induce the Scots parliament to 
come into the measure, it was alleged, by the ministry and 
their supporters, that an entire and perfect union would be 
the solid foundation of a lasting peace. It would secure 
their religion, liberty, and property ; remove the animosities 
that prevailed among themselves, and the jealousies that 
subsisted between the two nations. 13. It would increase 
their strength, riches, and commerce ; the whole island 
would be joined in affection, and freed from all apprehen- 
sions of different interests ; it would be enabled to resist all 
its enemies, support the protestant interests, and maintain 
the liberties of Europe. It was observed, that the less the- 
wheels of government were clogged by a multiplicity of 
councils, the more vigorous would be their exertions. 14. 
They were shown that the taxes which, in consequence 
of this union, they were to pay, were by no means so pro- 
portionably great as their share in the legislature ; that their 



286 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

taxes did not amount to a seventieth part of those supplied 
by the English ; and yet their share in the legislature was 
not a tenth part less. Such were the arguments in favour 
of the union addressed to the Scots parliament. 15. In the 
English houses it was observed, that a powerful and dan- 
gerous nation would thus for ever be prevented from giving 
them any disturbance. That, in case of any future rupture, 
England had every thing to lose, and nothing to gain, 
against a nation that was courageous and poor. 

16. On the other hand, the Scots were fired with indig- 
nation at the thought of losing their ancient and indepen- 
dent government. The nobility found themselves degraded 
in point of dignity and influence, by being excluded from 
their seats in parliament. The trading part of the nation 
beheld their commerce loaded with heavy duties, and con- 
sidered their new privileges of trading to the English plan- 
tations in the West Indies as a very uncertain advantage. 
17. In the English house it also was observed, that the 
union of a rich with a poor nation would always be benefi- 
cial to the latter, and that the former could only hope for a 
participation of their necessities. It was said that the Scots 
reluctantly yielded to this coalition, and it might be likened 
to a marriage with a woman against her consent. 18. It 
was supposed to be an union made up of so many unmatched 
pieces, and such incongruous ingredients, that it could never 
take effect. It was complained that the proportion of the 
land-tax paid by the Scots was small, and unequal to their 
share in the legislature. 

19. At length, notwithstanding all opposition made by 
the tories, every article in the union was approved by a 
great majority in both parliaments. Thus all were obliged 
to acquiesce in an union of which they at first had not the 
sagacity to distinguish the advantage. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By whom had the queen's counsels hitherto been governed ? 

2, 3. What important measure took place in parliament ? 
4 — 6. By what means was the union effected ? 

7 — 11. Relate the stipulations contained in this famous treaty. 
12 — 14. What arguments were used to induce the Scots to come into the 
measure ? 

15. What arguments were made use of to the English? 

16. In what manner did the Scots receive this message ? 

17. How was it received by the English ? 

18. What opinion was held concerning it ? 

19. Did the measure succeed ? 



287 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1708.) In the mean time the whig ministry was 
every day declining. Among the number of those whom 
the dutchess of Marlborough had introduced to the queen, 
to contribute to her private amusement, was one Mrs. 
Masham, her own kinswoman, whom she had raised from 
indigence and obscurity. The dutchess, having gained the 
ascendent over the queen, became petulant and insolent, and 
relaxed in those arts by which she had risen. 2. Mrs. 
Masham, who had her fortune to make, was more humble 
and assiduous ; she flattered the foibles of the queen, and 
assented to her prepossessions. She soon saw the queen's 
inclination to the tory set of opinions, their divine right and 
passive obedience ; and instead of attempting to thwart her, 
as the dutchess had done, she joined in with her partiality, 
and even outdid her in her own way. 

3. This lady was, in fact, the tool of Mr. Harley, secre- 
tary of state, who also some time before had insinuated 
himself into the queen's good graces, who had determined 
to sap the credit of the whig ministers. His aim was to 
unite the tory interest under his own shelter, and to expel 
the whigs from the advantages which they had long enjoyed 
under government. 

4. In this career of his ambition he chose for his coad- 
jutor Henry St. John, afterwards the famous lord Boling- 
broke ; a man of great eloquence, and greater ambition ; 
enterprising, restless, active, and haughty, with some wit and 
little principle. To this junto was added sir Simon Har- 
court, a lawyer, a man of great abilities. 

5. It was now perceived that the people themselves began 
to be weary of a whig ministry, whom they formerly ca- 
ressed. To them they imputed the burdens under which 
they groaned, — burdens which they had been hitherto ani- 
mated to bear by the pomp of triumph ; but the load of 
which they felt in a pause of success. 

6. Harley, afterwards known by the title of lord Oxford, 
was at the bottom of all these complaints ; and though they 
did not produce an immediate effect, yet they did not fail 
of a growing and steady operation. 

7. At length the whig party of the ministry opened their 
eyes to the intrigues of the tories. But it was now too late ; 



288 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

they had entirely lost the confidence of the queen. Harley 
soon threw off the mask of friendship, and took more 
vigorous measures for the prosecution of his designs. In 
him the queen reposed all her trust, though he had now no 
visible concern in the administration. 8. The first triumph 
of the tories, in which the queen discovered a public par- 
tiality in their favour, was seen in a transaction of no great 
importance in itself, but from the consequence it produced. 
The parties of the nation were eager to engage, and they 
wanted but the watchword to begin. This was given by a 
man neither of abilities, property, nor power ; but whom 
accident brought forward on this occasion. 

9. Henry Sacheverel was a clergyman bred at Oxford, 
of narrow intellects, and an overheated imagination. He 
had acquired some popularity among those who had dis- 
tinguished themselves by the name of high churchmen, and 
had taken all occasions to vent his animosity against the 
dissenters. At the summer assizes at Derby, he held forth 
in that strain before the judges. On the fifth of November, 
in St. Paul's church, he, in a violent declamation, defended 
the doctrine of non-resistance, inveighed against the tolera- 
tion of dissenters, declared the church was dangerously at- 
tacked by its enemies, and slightly defended by its false 
friends. 10. He sounded the trumpet for the zealous, and 
exhorted the people to put on the whole armour of God. 
Sir Samuel Gerrard, lord mayor, countenanced this ha- 
rangue, which, though very weak both in matter and style, 
was published under his protection, and extolled by the 
tories as a masterpiece of writing. These sermons owed 
all their celebrity to the complexion of the times, and they 
are now deservedly neglected. 

11. Mr. Dolben, son of the archbishop of York, laid a 
complaint before the house of commons against these rhap- 
sodies, and thus gave force to what would soon have been 
forgotten. The most violent paragraphs were read, and 
the sermons voted scandalous and seditious libels. Sache- 
verel was brought to the bar of the house, and he, far from 
disowning the writing of them, gloried in what he had 
done, and mentioned the encouragement he had received to 
publish them from the lord mayor, who was then present. 
12. Being ordered to withdraw, it was resolved to impeach 
him of high crimes and misdemeanours at the bar of the 
house of lords ; Mr. Dolben was fixed upon to conduct the 
prosecution, in the name of the commons of England. A 



ANNE 289 

committee was appointed to draw up articles of impeach- 
ment : Sacheverel was taken into custody : and a day was 
appointed for his trial before the lords in Westminster-hall. 

13. The eyes of the whole kingdom v/ere turned upon 
this very extraordinary trial, which lasted three weeks, and 
excluded all other public business for the time. The queen 
herself was every day present as a private spectator, whilst 
vast multitudes attended the culprit each day as he went to 
the hall, shouting as he passed, or silently praying for his 
success. The managers for the commons were sir Joseph 
Jekyl, Mr. Eyre, solicitor-general, sir Peter King, recorder, 
general Stanhope, sir Thomas Parker, and Mr. Walpole. 
14. The doctor was defended by sir Simon Harcourt and 
Mr. Philips, and assisted by doctor Atterbury, doctor Small- 
ridge, and doctor Friend. While the trial continued, nothing 
could exceed the violence and outrage of the populace. 
They surrounded the queen's sedan, exclaiming, " God 
bless your majesty and the church ! We hope your majesty 
is fo,r doctor Sacheverel." 15. They destroyed several 
meeting-houses, plundered the dwellings of many eminent 
dissenters, and even proposed to attack the bank. The 
queen, in compliance with the request of the commons, 
published a proclamation for suppressing the tumults ; and 
several persons, being apprehended, were tried for high- 
treason. Two were convicted, and sentenced to die ; but 
neither suffered. 

16. When the commons had gone through their charge, 
the managers for Sacheverel undertook his defence with 
great art and eloquence. He afterwards recited a speech 
himself, which, from the difference found between it and 
his sermons, seemed evidently the work of another. 17. 
In it he solemnly justified his intentions towards the queen 
and her government. He spoke in the most respectful 
terms of the revolution, and the protestant succession. He 
maintained the doctrine of non-resistance as the tenet of the 
church in which he was brought up ; and in a pathetic con- 
clusion endeavoured to excite the pity of his audience. 



Questions for Examination. 

1, 2. What circumstances led to the fall of the whig ministers ? 
3, 4. Who were the principal persons opposed to them ? 

5. What made the people dissatisfied ? 

6. Who was the cause of their discontent ? 

7. In whom did the queen repose her trust ? 

2 B 



290 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

8. In what accident originated the contention between the two parties ? 

9. What was the subject of Sacheverel's writings ? 

10. Who countenanced and extolled them ? 

11. What notice did parliament take of these writings ? 

12. What followed ? 

13. Who were the managers for the commons? 

14. By whom was he defended ? 

What was the conduct of the populace ? 

15. What outrages did they commit ? 

16, 17. What was the purport of Sacheverel's defence ? 



SECTION IV. 

1. (A.D. 1709.) At length, after much obstinate dispute 
and virulent altercation, Sacheverel was found guilty, by a 
majority of seventeen voices ; but no less than four-and- 
thirty peers entered a protest against this decision. He 
was prohibited from preaching for three years ; and his two 
sermons were ordered to be burnt by the hand of the com- 
mon hangman, in presence of the lord mayor and the two 
sheriffs. The lenity of this sentence, which was in a great 
measure owing to the dread of popular resentment, was 
considered by the tories as a triumph. 

2. Such was the complexion of the times, when the 
queen thought proper to summon a new parliament ; and 
being a friend to the tories herself, she gave the people an 
opportunity of indulging themselves in choosing representa- 
tives to her mind. In fact, very few were returned but such 
as had distinguished themselves by their zeal against the 
whig administration. 

3. In the mean time the campaign in Flanders was con- 
ducted with the most brilliant success. The duke of 
Marlborough had every motive to continue the war, as it 
gratified not only his ambition, but his avarice ; a passion 
that obscured his shining abilities. 

4. The king of France appeared extremely desirous of a 
peace, and resolved to solicit a conference. He employed 
one Perkum, resident of the duke of Holstein at the Hague, 
to negotiate upon this subject, and he ventured also to solicit 
the duke himself in private. A conference was at length 
begun at Gertruydenburg, under the influence of Marlbo- 
rough, Eugene, and Zinzendorf, who were all three, from 
private motives, entirely averse to the treaty. 5. Upon this 
occasion the French ministers were subjected to every spe- 



ANNE. 291 

cies of mortification. Spies were placed upon all their 
conduct. Their master was insulted, and their letters were 
opened ; till at last Louis resolved to hazard another cam- 
paign. 6. It was only by insensible degrees that the queen 
seemed to acquire courage enough to second her inclinations, 
and depose a ministry that had long been disagreeable to 
her. Harley, however, who still shared her confidence, did 
not fail to inculcate the popularity, the justice, and the secu- 
rity of such a measure ; and, in consequence of his advice, 
she began the changes, by transferring the post of lord- 
chamberlain from the duke of Kent to the duke of Shrews- 
bury, who had lately voted with the tories, and maintained 
an intimate correspondence with Mr. Harley. 7. Soon 
after the earl of Sunderland, secretary of state, and son-in- 
law to the duke of Marlborough, was displaced, and the earl 
of Dartmouth put in his room. Finding that she was 
rather applauded than condemned for this resolute proceed- 
ing, she resolved to become entirely free. 

8. Soon after the earl of Godolphin was divested of his 
office, and the treasury put in commission, subjected to 
the direction of Mr. Harley, who was appointed chancellor 
of the exchequer, and under-treasurer. 9. The earl of 
Rochester was declared president of the council, in the 
room of lord Somers. The staff of the lord-steward, being 
taken from the duke of Devonshire, was given to the duke 
of Buckingham ; and Mr. Boyle was removed from the 
secretary's office to make way for Mr. Henry St. John. 
The lord chancellor having resigned the great seal, it was 
first put in commission, and then given to sir Simon Har- 
court. 10. The earl of Wharton surrendered his commis- 
sion of lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and that employment 
was conferred upon the duke of Ormond. Mr. George 
Grenville was appointed secretary of war, in the room of 
Mr. Robert Walpole ; and, in a word, there was not one 
whig left in any office of the state, except the duke of 
Marlborough. He was still continued the reluctant general 
of the army ; but he justly considered himself as a ruin 
entirely undermined, and just ready to fall. 

11. But the triumph was not yet complete until the 
parliament was brought to confirm and approve the queen's 
choice. The queen, in her speech, recommended the pro- 
secution of the war with vigour. The parliament were 
ardent in their expressions of zeal and unanimity. They 
exhorted her to discountenance all such principles and 



292 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

measures as had lately threatened her royal crown and 
dignity. This was but an opening to what soon after fol- 
lowed. 12. The duke of Marlborough, who but a few 
months before had been so highly extolled and caressed by 
the representatives of the people, was now become the 
object of their hatred and reproach. His avarice was justly 
upbraided ; his protracting the war was said to arise from 
that motive. Instances were every where given of his 
fraud and extortion. These might be true ; but party had 
no moderation, and even his courage and conduct were called 
in question. 13. To mortify the duke still more, the thanks 
of the house of commons were voted to the earl of Peter- 
borough for his services in Spain, when they were refused 
to the duke for those in Flanders ; and the lord-keeper, who 
delivered them to Peterborough, took occasion to drop some 
reflection against the mercenary disposition of his rival. 

14. Nothing now, therefore, remained of the whig sys- 
tem, upon which this reign was begun, but the war, which 
continued to rage as fierce as ever, and which increased in 
expense every year as it went on. It was the resolution 
of the present ministry to put an end to it at any rate, as it 
had involved the nation in debt almost to bankruptcy ; and 
as it promised, instead of humbling the enemy, only to 
become habitual to the constitution. 

15. It only remained to remove the duke of Marlborough 
from his post, as he would endeavour to traverse all their 
negotiations. But here again a difficulty started ; this step 
could not be taken without giving offence to the Dutch, who 
placed entire confidence in him ; they were obliged, there- 
fore, to wait for some convenient occasion. Upon his 
return from the campaign he was accused of having taken a 
bribe of six thousand pounds a year from a Jew, who con- 
tracted to supply the army with bread ; and the queen 
thought proper to dismiss him from all his employments. 
16. This was the pretext made use of, though his fall had 
been predetermined ; and though his receiving such a bribe 
was not the real cause of his removal, yet candour must 
confess that it ought to have been so. 

In the mean time, Prior, much more famous as a poet 
than a statesman, was sent over with proposals to France ; 
and Menager, a man of no great station, returned with 
Prior to London, with full powers to treat upon the pre- 
liminaries. 

17. The ministry having got thus far, the great difficulty 



ANNE. 293 

still lay before them, of making the terms of peace agreeable 
to all the confederates. The earl of Strafford, who had 
been lately recalled from the Hague, where he resided as 
ambassador, was now sent back to Holland, with orders to 
communicate to the pensionary Heinsius the preliminary 
proposals, to signify the queen's approbation of them, and to 
propose a place where the plenipotentiaries should assemble. 
18. The Dutch were very averse to begin the conference, 
upon the inspection of the preliminaries. They sent over 
an envoy to attempt to turn the queen from her resolution ; 
but, finding their efforts vain, they fixed upon Utrecht as a 
place of general conference, and they granted passports to 
the French ministers accordingly. 

19. The conference began at Utrecht, under the conduct 
of Robinson, bishop of Bristol, lord privy-seal, and the earl 
of Strafford, on the side of the English ; of Buys and Van- 
derdusson, on the part of the Dutch ; and of the marshal 
d'Uxelles, the cardinal Polignac, and Mr. Menager, in 
behalf of France. The ministers of the emperor and the 
duke of Savoy assisted, and the other allies sent also pleni- 
potentiaries, though with the utmost reluctance. 20. As 
England and France were the only two powers that were 
seriously inclined to peace, it may be supposed that all the 
other deputies served rather to retard than advance its pro- 
gress. They met rather to start new difficulties, and widen 
the breach, than to quiet the dissensions of Europe. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Was Sacheverel found guilty ? 
What was his sentence ? 

2. Which party prevailed in the new parliament ? 
3 — 5. What took place in Flanders ? 

6 — 10. What change in the ministry took place ? 

11. In what manner did the parliament act ? 

12, 13. What conduct was observed towards the duke of Marlborough ? 

14. What was the resolution of the present ministry? 

15. With what crime was Marlborough charged ? 

16. 17. What proceedings were now adopted ? 

18. Were the Dutch averse to the measure? 

19. Where did the conference begin ? By whom was it conducted ? 

20. What retarded its progress ? 



2 b2 



294 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



SECTION V. 



1. (A.D. 1712.) The English ministers, therefore, finding 
multiplied obstructions from the deliberations of their allies, 
set on foot a private negotiation with France. They stipu- 
lated certain advantages for the subjects of Great Britain in 
a concerted plan of peace. They resolved to enter into 
such mutual confidence with the French as would anticipate 
all clandestine transactions to the prejudice of the coalition. 

2. In the beginning of August, secretary St. John, who 
had been created lord viscount Bolingbroke, was sent to the 
court of Versailles to remove all obstructions to the separate 
treaty. He was accompanied by Mr. Prior and the abbe 
Gualtier, and treated with the most distinguished marks of 
respect. He was caressed by the French king and the 
marquis de Torcy, with whom he adjusted the principal 
interests of the duke of Savoy and the elector of Bavaria. 

3. At length the treaties of peace and commerce between 
England and France being agreed on by the plenipotentiaries 
on either side, and ratified by the queen, she acquainted the 
parliament of the steps she had taken. 

4. The articles of this famous treaty were longer can- 
vassed, and more warmly debated, than those of any other 
treaty read of in history. The number of different interests 
concerned, and the great enmity and jealousy subsisting 
between all, made it impossible that all could be satisfied; 
and indeed there seemed no other method of obtaining 
peace but that which was taken, for the two principal powers 
concerned to make their own articles, and to leave the rest 
for a subject of future discussion. 

5. The first stipulation was, that Philip, now acknow- 
ledged king of Spain, should renounce all right to the 
crown of France, the union of two such powerful kingdoms 
being thought dangerous to the liberties of Europe. It was 
agreed that the duke of Berri, Philip's brother, and after 
him in succession, should also renounce his right to the 
crown of Spain, in case he became king of France. 6. It 
was stipulated that the duke of Savoy should possess the 
island of Sicily, with the title of king, together with Fenis- 
trelles, and other places on the continent; which increase 
of dominion was in some measure made out of the spoils 
of the French monarchy. The Dutch had that barrier 



ANNE. 295 

granted them, which they so long sought after ; and if the 
crown of France was deprived of some dominions to enrich 
the duke of Savoy, on the other hand the house of Austria 
was taxed to supply the wants of the Hollanders, who were 
put in possession of the strongest towns in Flanders. 7. 
With regard to England, its glory and its interests were 
secured. The fortifications of Dunkirk, a harbour that 
might be dangerous to their trade in time of war, were 
ordered to be demolished, and its port destroyed. Spain 
gave up all right to Gibraltar and the island of Minorca. 
France resigned her pretensions to Hudson's Bay, Nova 
Scotia, and Newfoundland ; but they were left in possession 
of Cape Breton, and the liberty of drying their fish upon 
the shore. 8. Among these articles, glorious to the English 
nation, their setting free the French protestants confined in 
the prisons and galleys for their religion, was not the least 
meritorious. For the emperor, it was stipulated, that he 
should possess the kingdom of Naples, the dutchy of Milan, 
and the Netherlands. The king of Prussia was to have 
Upper Guelder ; and a time was fixed for the emperor's 
acceding to these articles, as he had for some time obsti- 
nately refused to assist at the negotiation. 9. Thus Europe 
seemed to be formed into one great republic, the different 
members of which were cantoned out to different governors, 
and the ambition of any one state amenable to the tribunal 
of all. Thus it appears that the English ministry did 
justice to all the world ; but their country denied that jus- 
tice to them. 

10. But while the whigs were attacking the tory minis- 
ters from without, these were in much greater danger from 
their own internal dissensions. Lord Oxford and lord Bo- 
lingbroke, though they had started with the same principles 
and designs, yet, having vanquished other opposers, now 
began to turn their strength against each other. Both began 
to form separate interests, and to adopt different principles. 
Oxford's plan was the more moderate ; Bolingbroke's the 
more vigorous, but the more secure. 11. Oxford, it was 
thought, was entirely for the Hanoverian succession ; Bo- 
lingbroke had some hopes of bringing in the pretender. 
But though they hated each other most sincerely, yet they 
were for a while kept together for the good offices of their 
friends and adherents, who had the melancholy prospect of 
seeing the citadel of their hopes, while openly besieged 
from without, secretly undermined within. 



296 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

12. This was a mortifying prospect for the tories ; but 
it was more particularly displeasing to the queen, who daily 
saw her favourite minister declining, while her own health 
kept pace with their contentions. Her constitution was 
now quite broken. One fit of sickness succeeded another ; 
and what completed the ruin of her health was the anxiety 
of her mind. These dissensions had such an effect upon 
her spirits and constitution, that she declared she could not 
outlive it, and immediately sunk into a state of lethargic in- 
sensibility. 13. Notwithstanding all the medicines which 
the physicians could prescribe, the distemper gained ground 
so fast, that the day afterwards they despaired of her life, 
and the privy council were assembled on the occasion. 

All the members, without distinction, being summoned 
from the different parts of the kingdom, began to provide 
for the security of the constitution. 14. They sent a letter 
to the elector of Hanover, informing him of the queen's 
desperate situation, and desiring him to repair to Holland, 
where he would be attended by a British squadron to con- 
vey him to England. At the same time they despatched 
instructions to the earl of Strafford, at the Hague, to desire 
the states-general to be ready to perform the guarantee of 
the protestant succession. 15. Precautions were taken to 
secure the sea-ports ; and the command of the fleet was 
bestowed upon the earl of Berkeley, a professed whig. 
These measures, which were all dictated by that party, 
answered a double end. It argued their own alacrity in the 
cause of their new sovereign, and seemed to imply a danger 
to the state from the disaffection of the opposite interest. 

16. On the thirtieth of July, the queen seemed some- 
what relieved by medicines, rose from her bed about eight 
o'clock, and walked a little. After some time, casting her 
eyes on a clock that stood in her chamber, she continued to 
gaze on it for some minutes. One of the ladies in waiting 
asked her what she saw there more than usual, to which 
the queen only answered by turning her eyes upon her 
with a dying look. 17. She was soon after seized with a 
fit of apoplexy. She continued all night in a state of stu- 
pefaction, and expired the next morning, in the forty-ninth 
year of her age. She reigned more than twelve years over 
a people that was now risen to the highest pitch of refine- 
ment; that had attained by their wisdom all the advantages 
of opulence, and, by their valour, all the happiness of se- 
curity and conquest. 



GEORGE I. 



297 



Questions for Examination. 
1, 2. What circumstances preceded the treaty with France? 
3, 4. After its conclusion, in what manner was it received ? 

5. What was the first stipulation ? 

6. What the next? 

7. How did the treaty regard England ? 

8. Which article of the treaty was meritorious to the English nation? 
What were the stipulations regarding the emperor and the king of 

Prussia ? 

9. What appearance did Europe now exhibit ? 

10. What dissension took place between Oxford and Bolingbroke? 

11. What was thought to be their different views? 

12. What effect had this disunion on the queen ? 

13—15. When the queen's life was despaired of, what measures were taken ? 

16. What immediately preceded the queen's death? 

17. How long did she reign? 

What was the situation of England at her death ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Pope. 



Clement XI 1700 

Emperors of German y. 

Leopold 1658 

Joseph 1 1705 

Charles VI 1711 



A.D. 

AchmetHI 1703 

King of France. 
Louis XIV 1643 

King of Spain. 
Philip V 1700 



A.D. 

John V 1707 

King of Denmark. 
Frederick IV 1669 

King of Sweden. 
Charles XII 1697 



King of 
Jerick I. 



Prussia. 
1701 



Emperor of the Turks. Kings of Portugal. 
Mustaphall 1695 Pedro II 1683 Fred 

EMINENT PERSONS. 

Churchill, duke of Marlborough ; lord Bolingbroke ; sir William Temple ; 
Boyle, earl of Orrery ; Swift; Sidney, earl of Godolphin; Harley, earl of 
Oxford; Mordaunt, earl of Peterborough; Howard, earl of Suffolk; D. 
Finch, earl of Nottingham ; G. Grenville, lord Lansdowne; Philip, duke of 
Wharton; R. lord Raymond; lord-chancellor King; T. lord Paget; Sarah, 
dutchess of Marlborough. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



GEORGE I. 



Born 1660. 



Died June 11, 1727. Began to reign August 1, 1714. 
Reigned 12J years. 



SECTION I. 



i. (A.D. 1714.) Pursuant to the act of succession, 
George the First, son of Ernest Augustus, first elector of 
Brunswick, and the princess Sophia, grand-daughter to 



298 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

James the First, ascended the British throne. His mature 
age, he being now fifty-four years old, his sagacity and 
experience, his numerous alliances, and the general tran- 
quillity of Europe, all contributed to establish his interests, 
and to promise him a peaceable and happy reign. 2. His 
abilities, though not shining, were solid ; he was of a very 
different disposition from the Stuart family whom he suc- 
ceeded. These were known, to a proverb, for leaving their 
friends in extremity. George, on the contrary, soon after 
his arrival in England, was heard to say, " My maxim is, 
never to abandon my friends, to do justice to all the world, 
and to fear no man." 

3. To these qualifications of resolution and perseverance 
he joined great application to business. However, one fault 
with respect to England remained behind ; he studied the 
interest of those subjects he had left more than those he 
came to govern. 

4. The queen had no sooner resigned her breath, than 
the privy-council met, and three instruments were produced, 
by which the elector appointed several of his known adhe- 
rents to be added as lords-justices to seven great officers of 
the kingdom. Orders also were immediately issued out for 
proclaiming George, king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 
The regency appointed the earl of Dorset to carry him the 
intimation of his accession to the crown, and to attend him 
on his journey to England. They sent the general officers, 
in whom they could confide, to their posts ; they reinforced 
the garrison of Portsmouth, and appointed the celebrated 
Mr. Addison secretary of state. 5. To mortify the late 
ministry the more, lord Bolingbroke was obliged to wait 
every morning in the passage among the servants with his 
bag of papers, where there were persons purposely placed 
to insult and deride him. No tumult appeared, no commo- 
tion arose against the accession of the new king, and this 
gave a strong proof that no rational measures were even 
taken to obstruct his exaltation. 

6. When he first landed at Greenwich, he was received 
by the duke of Northumberland, captain of the life-guard, 
and the lords of the regency. When he retired to his bed- 
chamber, he sent for such of the nobility as had distin- 
guished themselves by their zeal for his succession. But 
the duke of Ormond, the lord-chancellor, and the lord-trea- 
surer, found themselves excluded. 

7. The king of a faction is but the sovereign of half his 



GEORGE I. 299 

subjects. Of this, however, the new-elected monarch did 
not seem to be sensible. It was his misfortune, and con- 
sequently that of the nation, that he was hemmed round by 
men who soured him with their own interests. None now 
but the leaders of a party were admitted into employment. 
The whigs, while they pretended to secure the crown for 
their king, were, with all possible arts, confirming their own 
interests, extending their connexions, and giving laws to 
the sovereign. 8. An instantaneous and total change was 
made in all the offices of trust, honour, and advantage. The 
whigs governed the senate and the court, whom they would 
have oppressed ; bound the lower orders of people with 
severe laws, and kept them at a distance by vile distinctions ; 
and taught them to call this — liberty ! 

9. These partialities soon raised discontents among the peo- 
ple, and the king's attachment considerably increased the 
discontents throughout the kingdom. The clamour of the 
church's being in danger was revived. Birmingham, Bris- 
tol, Norwich, and Reading, still remembered the spirit with 
which they had declared for Sacheverel ; and now the cry 
was, " Down with the whigs, and Sacheverel for ever !" 

10. Upon the first meeting of the new parliament, in 
which the whigs, with the king at their head, were predo- 
minant, nothing was expected but the most violent measures 
against the late ministry, nor were the expectations of man- 
kind disappointed. (A.D. 1714.) 

11. The lords professed their hopes that the king would 
be able to recover the reputation of the kingdom on the con- 
tinent, the loss of which they affected to deplore. The 
commons went much further ; they declared their resolution 
to trace out those measures by which the country was de- 
pressed; they resolved to seek after those abettors on whom 
the pretender seemed to ground his hopes ; and they deter- 
mined to bring such to condign punishment. 

12. It was the artifice, during this and the succeeding 
reign, to stigmatize all those who testified their discontent 
against government as papists and Jacobites. All who at- 
tempted to speak against the violence of their measures were 
reproached as designing to bring in the pretender ; and most 
people were consequently afraid to murmur, since discontent 
was so near akin to treason. The people, therefore, beheld 
the violence of their conduct in silent fright, internally dis- 
approving, yet not daring to avow their detestation. 

13. A committee was appointed, consisting of twenty 



300 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

persons, to inspect all the papers relative to the late negoti- 
ation for peace ; and to pick out such of them as might serve 
as subjects of accusation against the late ministry. After 
some time spent in this disquisition, Mr. Walpole, as chair- 
man of the committee, declared to the house that a report 
•was drawn up ; and in the mean time moved that a warrant 
might be issued for apprehending Mr. Matthew Prior and 
Mr. Thomas Harley, who, being in the house, were imme- 
diately taken into custody. 14. He then impeached lord 
Bolingbroke of high-treason. This struck some of the 
members with amazement : but they were still more asto- 
nished, when lord Coningsby, rising up, was heard to say, 
11 The worthy chairman has impeached the hand, but I im- 
peach the head ; he has impeached the scholar, and I the 
master ; I impeach Robert earl of Oxford and the earl of 
Mortimer of high-treason, and other crimes and misdemea- 
nours." 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Under what circumstances did George I. ascend the throne ? 

2. What were his abilities and disposition ? 
What was his maxim ? 

3. What fault has been attributed to him ? 

4. What was the first act of the privy council? 

5. In what manner was Bolingbroke treated ? 

6. By whom was the king received on his landing ? 

7. By whom was the king advised, and what was the result ? 

8. 9. What did these partialities produce ? 

10, 1 1. In what manner did the new parliament act? 

12. What did their proceedings produce ? 

13, 14. For what purpose was a committee appointed ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A.D. 1714.) When lord Oxford appeared in the house 
of lords the day following, he was avoided by the peers as 
infectious ; and he had now an opportunity of discovering 
the baseness of mankind. When the articles were read 
against him in the house of commons, a warm debate arose 
upon that in which he was charged with having advised the 
French king of the manner of gaining Tournay from the 
Dutch. 2. Mr. Walpole alleged that it was treason. Sir 
Joseph Jekyl, a known whig, said that he could never be 
of opinion that it amounted to treason. It was his principle, 



GEORGE I. 301 

he said, to do justice to all men, from the highest to the 
lowest. He hoped he might pretend to some knowledge of 
the law, and would not scruple to declare, upon this part of 
the question, in favour of the criminal. 3. To this Wal- 
pole answered, with great warmth, that there were several 
persons, both in and out of the committee, who did not in 
the least yield to that member in point of honesty, and ex- 
ceeded him in the knowledge of the laws, and yet were 
satisfied that the charge in that article amounted to high- 
treason. 4. This point being decided against the earl, and 
the other articles proved by the house, the lord Coningsby, 
attended by the whig members, impeached him soon after 
at the bar of the house of lords ; demanding, at the same 
time, that he might lose his seat, and be committed to cus- 
tody. When this point came to be debated in the house of 
lords, a violent altercation ensued. Those who still adhered 
to the deposed minister, maintained the injustice and danger 
of such proceedings. 5. At last the earl himself rose up, 
and with great tranquillity observed, that, for his own part, 
he always acted by the immediate directions and command 
of the queen, his mistress : he had never offended against 
any known law, and was unconcerned for the life of an in- 
significant old man. Next day he was brought to the bar, 
where he received a copy of his indictment, and was allow- 
ed a month to prepare his answer. Though Dr. Mead de- 
clared, that if the earl should be sent to the Tower his life 
would be in danger, it was carried in the house that he should 
be committed. 

6. At the same time the duke of Ormond and lord Boling- 
broke, having omitted to surrender themselves (for they had 
actually fled to the continent) within a limited time, it was 
ordered that the earl-marshal should rase out their names 
and arms from among the list of peers ; and inventories were 
taken of their estates and possessions, which were declared 
forfeited to the crown. 

7. Lord Oxford being confined in the Tower, he continued 
there for two years, during which time the nation was in a 
continual ferment, from an actual rebellion that was carried 
on unsuccessfully. After the execution of some lords, who 
were taken in arms, the nation seemed glutted with blood, 
and that was the time that lord Oxford petitioned to be 
brought to trial. 8. He knew that the fury of the nation 
was spent on objects that were really culpable, and expected 
that his case would look like innocence itself compared to 

C 2 



302 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

theirs. A day, therefore, at his own request, was assigned 
him, and the commons were ordered to prepare for their 
charge. At the appointed time the peers repaired to the 
court in Westminster-hall, where lord Cowper presided as 
lord high steward. 9. But a dispute arising between the 
lords and commons, concerning the mode of his trial, the 
lords voted that the prisoner should be set at liberty. To 
this dispute he probably owed the security of his title and 
fortune ; for, as to the articles importing him guilty of high- 
treason, they were at once malignant and frivolous, so that 
his life was in no manner of danger. 

10. In the mean time these vindictive proceedings excited 
the indignation of the people, who perceived that the ave- 
nues to royal favour were closed against all but a faction. 
The flames of rebellion were actually kindled in Scotland. 
The earl of Mar, assembling three hundred of his own vas- 
sals in the Highlands, proclaimed the pretender at Castle- 
down, and set up his standard at a place called Braemaer, 
assuming the title of lieutenant-general of his majesty's 
forces. 11. To second these attempts, two vessels arrived 
in Scotland from France, with arms, ammunition, and a 
number of officers, together with assurances to the earl, that 
the pretender himself would shortly come over to head his 
own forces. The earl, in consequence of this promise, soon 
found himself at the head of ten thousand men, well armed 
and provided. 12. The duke of Argyle, apprized of his in- 
tentions, and at any rate willing to prove his attachment to 
the present government, resolved to give him battle in the 
neighbourhood of Dumblain, though his forces did not amount 
to half the number of the enemy. After an engagement, 
which continued several hours, in the evening both sides 
drew off, and both sides claimed the victory. 13. Though 
the possession of the field was kept by neither, yet certainly 
all the honour and all the advantages of the day belonged to 
the duke of Argyle. It was sufficient for him to have inter- 
rupted the progress of the enemy ; for, in their circumstances, 
delay was defeat. The earl of Mar soon found his disap- 
pointment and losses increase. The castle of Inverness, of 
which he was in possession, was delivered up to the king 
by lord Lovat, who had hitherto professed to act in the in- 
terest of the pretender. 14. The marquis of Tullibardine 
forsook the earl, in order to defend his own part of the coun- 
try ; and many of the clans, seeing no likelihood of coming 
soon to a second engagement, returned quietly home : for 



GEORGE I. 303 

an irregular army is much easier led to battle than induced 
to bear the fatigues of a campaign. 

15. In the mean time the rebellion was much more un- 
successfully prosecuted in England. From the time the 
pretender had undertaken this wild project at Paris, in which 
the duke of Ormond and lord Bolingbroke were engaged, 
lord Stair, the English ambassador there, had penetrated all 
his designs, and sent faithful accounts of all his measures, 
and all his adherents, to the ministry at home. Upon the 
first rumour, therefore, of an insurrection, they imprisoned 
several lords and gentlemen, of whom they had a suspicion. 
16. The earls of Home, Wintown, Kinnoul, and others, 
were committed to the castle of Edinburgh. The king ob- 
tained leave from the lower house to seize sir William 
Wyndham, sir John Packington, Harvey Combe, and others. 
The lords Lansdowne and Duplin were taken into custody. 
Sir William Wyndham's father-in-law, the duke of Somer- 
set, offered to become bound for his appearance, but his 
surety was refused. 



Questions for Examination, 

1. What was the conduct of the peers towards lord Oxford ? 

2. In what way was he defended by sir John Jekyl ? 

3. What was the answer of Walpole ? 

4. Who impeached the earl of Oxford before the lords? 

5. What answer did his lordship make to the charge ? 

6. What proceedings were taken against Ormond and Bolingbroke ? 

7. In what state was the nation at this time ? 

8. Under what circumstances did Oxford request his trial ? 

9. What occasioned his being set at liberty ? 
10. What excited the indignation of the people 1 

11 — 14. Relate the particulars of the rebellion of Scotland. 

15. Who, penetrating into the wild project of the pretender, sent accounts of 

all his measures ? 

16. Who were imprisoned in consequence ? 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1715.) All these precautions were not able to 
stop the insurrection in the western counties, where it was 
already begun. However, all their preparations were weak 
and ill-conducted, every measure was betrayed to government 
as soon as projected, and many revolts suppressed in the 
very outset. 2. The university of Oxford was treated with 
great severity on this occasion. Major-general Pepper, with 



304 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

a strong detachment of dragoons, took possession of the city 
at daybreak, declaring that he would instantly shoot any of 
the students who should presume to appear without the limits 
of their respective colleges. The insurrections in the northern 
counties came to greater maturity. 3. In the month of Oc- 
tober, 1715, the earl of Derwentwater, and Mr. Forster, took 
the field with a large body of horse, and being joined by 
some gentlemen from the borders of Scotland, proclaimed 
the pretender. Their first attempt was to seize upon New- 
castle, in which they had many friends, but they found the 
gates shut against them, and were obliged to retire to Hex- 
ham. 4. To oppose these, general Carpenter was detached 
by government with a body of nine hundred men, and an 
engagement was hourly expected. The rebels had pro- 
ceeded by the way of Kendal and Lancaster to Preston, of 
which place they took possession without any resistance. 
But this was the last stage of their ill-advised incursion ; for 
general Wills, at the head of seven thousand men, came up 
to the town to attack them, and from his activity there was 
no escaping. 5. They now, therefore, began to raise barri- 
cados, and to place the town in a posture of defence, repuls- 
ing the first attack of the royal army with success. Next 
day, however, Wills was reinforced by Carpenter, and the 
town was invested on all sides. In this deplorable situation, 
to which they were reduced by their own rashness, Forster 
hoped to capitulate with the general, and accordingly sent 
colonel Oxburgh, who had been taken prisoner, with a 
trumpeter, to propose a capitulation. 6. This, however, 
Wills refused, alleging that he would not treat with rebels, 
and that the only favour they had to expect was to be spared 
from immediate slaughter. These were hard terms, yet no 
better could be obtained. They accordingly laid down their 
arms, and were put under a strong guard ; all the noblemen 
and leaders were secured, and a few of the officers tried for 
deserting from the royal army, and shot by order of a court- 
martial. The common men were imprisoned at Chester 
and Liverpool ; the noblemen and considerable officers were 
sent to London, and led through the streets, pinioned and 
bound together, to intimidate their party. 

7. The pretender might, by this time, have been con- 
vinced of the vanity of his expectations, in supposing that 
the whole country would rise up in his cause. His affairs 
were actually desperate ; yet, with his usual infatuation, he 
resolved to hazard his person among his friends in Scotland} 



GEORGE I. 305 

at a time when such a measure was too late for success. 8. 
Passing, therefore, through France in disguise, and embark- 
ing in a small vessel at Dunkirk, he arrived, after a passage 
of a few days, on the coast of Scotland, with only six gen- 
tlemen in his train. He passed unknown through Aberdeen 
to Feterosse, where he was met by the earl of Mar, and 
about thirty noblemen and gentlemen of the first quality. 
9. There he was solemnly proclaimed. His declaration, 
dated at Commercy, was printed and dispersed. He went 
from thence to Dundee, where he made a public entry, and 
in two days more he arrived at Scoon, where he intended to 
have the ceremony of the coronation performed. He order- 
ed thanksgivings to be made for his safe arrival ; he enjoined 
the ministers to pray for him in their churches ; and, with- 
out the smallest share of power, went through the ceremo- 
nies of royalty, which threw an air of ridicule on all his 
conduct. 10. Having thus spent some time in unimportant 
parade, he resolved to abandon the enterprise with the same 
levity with which it was undertaken. Having made a speech 
to his grand council, he informed them of his want of money, 
arms, and ammunition, for undertaking a campaign, and 
therefore deplored that he was compelled to leave them. He 
once more embarked on board a small French ship that lay 
in the harbour of Montrose, accompanied by several lords, 
his adherents, and in five days arrived at Gravelin. 

11. In this manner ended a rebellion, which nothing but 
imbecility could project, and nothing but rashness could 
support. But though the enemy was no more, the fury of 
the victors did not seem in the least to abate with success. 
The law was now put in force with all its terrors ; and the 
prisons of London were crowded with those deluded 
wretches, whom the ministry seemed resolved not to pardon. 

12. The commons, in their address to the crown, declared 
they would prosecute in the most rigorous manner the authors 
of the late rebellion. In consequence of which the earls of 
Derwentwater, Nithisdale, Carnwath, and Wintown, the 
lords Widrington, Kenmuir, and Nairne, were impeached, 
and, upon pleading guilty, all but lord Wintown received 
sentence of death. No entreaties could soften the ministry 
to spare these unhappy men. The countess of Derwent- 
water, with her sister and several other ladies of the first dis- 
tinction, being introduced into the presence of the king, be- 
sought his clemency for her husband, but without effect. 

13. Orders were despatched for executing the lords Der- 

2 c 2 



306 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND 




Countess of Derwentwater interceding for her husband. 

wentwater, Nithisdale, and Kenmuir immediately ; the rest 
were respited to a farther time. Nithisdale, however, had 
the good fortune to escape in women's clothes, which were 
brought to him by his mother, the night before he was to 
have been executed. Derwentwater and Kenmuir were 
brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill at the time appointed. 
Both underwent their sentence with calm intrepidity, pitied 
by all, and seemingly less moved themselves than those who 
beheld them. 

14. In the beginning of April, commissioners for trying 
the rebels met in the court of common pleas, when bills 
were found against Mr. Forster, Mr. Mackitosnh, and twenty 
of their confederates. 

15. Forster escaped from Newgate, and reached the con- 
tinent in safety ; the rest pleaded not guilty. Pitts, the 
keeper of Newgate, being suspected of having connived at 
Forster's escape, was tried for his life, but acquitted. Yet, 
notwithstanding this, Mackintosh and several other prisoners 
broke from Newgate, after having mastered the keeper and 
turnkey, and disarmed the sentinel. 16. The court pro- 
ceeded to the trial of those that remained : four or five were 
hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn ; two-and-twenty 
were executed at Preston and Manchester ; and about a 
thousand prisoners experienced the king's mercy, if such it 
might be called, to be transported to North America. 

17. A rupture with Spain, which ensued some time after, 



GEORGE I. 307 

served once more to raise the declining expectations of the 
pretender and his adherents. It was hoped that, by the 
assistance of cardinal Alberoni, the Spanish minister, a new 
insurrection might be carried on in England. The duke of 
Onnond was the person fixed upon to conduct this expedi- 
tion ; and he obtained from the Spanish court a fleet of ten 
ships of war and transports, having on board six thousand 
regular troops, with arms for twelve thousand more. 18. 
But fortune was still as unfavourable as ever. Having set 
sail, and proceeded as far as Cape Finisterre, he was encoun- 
tered by a violent storm, which disabled his fleet, and frus- 
trated the expedition. This misfortune, together with the 
bad success of the Spanish arms in Sicily, and other parts 
of Europe, induced Philip to wish for peace ; and he at last 
consented to sign the quadruple alliance. This was at that 
time thought an immense acquisition, but England, though 
she procured the ratification, had no share in the advantage 
of the treaty. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Of what nature was the insurrection in the western counties? 

2. In what manner was the university of Oxford treated ? 

3. By whom was the pretender first proclaimed ? 

4. Relate the manner in which they were opposed. 

5. 6. What was the result of the siege of Preston ? 

8, 9. What was the next proceeding of the pretender ? 

10. What was his conduct on ahandoning this enterprise ? 

11. What was the conduct of the victors ? 

12. What was the declaration of the commons ? and what was the conse- 

quence ? 

13. What orders were now despatched ? 

14 — 16. Relate the particulars which regarded the other rebels. 

17. What rupture raised the declining hopes of the pretender? 

18. What was the result ? 



SECTION IV. 

1. (A.D. 1721.) It was about this time that one John 
Law, a Scotchman, had cheated France by erecting a com- 
pany under the name of the Mississippi, which promised 
that deluded people great wealth, but which ended in involv- 
ing the French nation in great distress. It was now that 
the people of England were deceived by a project entirely 
similar, which is remembered by the name of the South 



308 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Sea Scheme, and which was felt long after by thousands. 
2. To explain this as concisely as possible, it is to be ob- 
served, that ever since the revolution under king William, 
the government, not having had sufficient supplies granted 
by parliament, or what was granted requiring time to be 
collected, they were obliged to borrow money from several 
different companies of merchants, and, among the rest, from 
that company which traded to the South Sea. The South 
Sea company having made up their debt to the government 
ten millions, instead of six hundred thousand pounds, which 
they usually received as interest, were satisfied with five 
hundred thousand pounds. 

3. It was in this situation of things that one Blount, who 
had been bred a scrivener, and was possessed of all the 
cunning and plausibility requisite for such an undertaking, 
proposed to the ministry, in the name of the South Sea 
company, to buy up all the debts of the different companies 
of merchants, and thus to become the sole creditor of the 
state. 4. The terms he offered to government were ex- 
tremely advantageous. The South Sea company was to 
redeem the debts of the nation out of the hands of the 
private proprietors, who were creditors to the government, 
upon whatever terms they could agree on ; and for the 
interest of this money, which they had thus redeemed, and 
taken into their own hands, they would be contented to be 
allowed by government, for six years, five per cent. ; then 
the interest should be reduced to four per cent. ; and should 
at any time be redeemable by parliament. 5. But now 
came the part of the scheme big with fraud and ruin. As 
the directors of the South Sea company could not of them- 
selves be supposed to possess money sufficient to buy up the 
debts of the nation, they were empowered to raise it by 
opening a subscription to a scheme for trading to the South 
Seas, from which commerce immense ideal advantages were 
promised by the cunning directors, and still greater expected 
by the rapacious credulity of the people. All persons, 
therefore, who were creditors to the government, were 
invited to come in, and exchange their stocks for that of the 
South Sea company. 

6. The directors' books were no sooner opened for the 
first subscription, than crowds came to make the exchange 
of their stock for South Sea stock. The delusion was art- 
fully continued and spread. Subscriptions in a very few 
days sold for double the price they had been bought at. 



GEORGE I. 309 

The scheme succeeded even beyond the projectors' hopes, 
and the whole nation was infected with a spirit of avaricious 
enterprise. The infatuation prevailed ; the stock increased 
to a surprising degree, and to nearly ten times the value of 
what it was subscribed for. 

7. After a few months, however, the people awoke from 
their dreams of riches, and found that all the advantages 
they expected were merely imaginary, while thousands of 
families were involved in one common ruin. 

8. The principal delinquents were punished by parlia- 
ment with a forfeiture of all such possessions and estates as 
they had acquired during the continuance of this popular 
phrensy, and some care also was taken to redress the suf- 
ferers. The discontents occasioned by these public calami- 
ties once more gave the disaffected party hopes of succeed- 
ing. But in all their councils they were weak, divided, and 
wavering. 

9 The first person that was seized upon suspicion was 
Francis Atterbury, bishop of Rochester, a prelate long ob- 
noxious to the present government, and possessed of abilities 
to render him formidable to any ministry he opposed. His 
papers were seized, and he himself confined to the Tower. 
Soon after the duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Orrery, the lord 
North and Grey, and some others of inferior rank, were ar- 
rested and imprisoned. Of all these, however, only the 
bishop, who was banished, and one Mr. Layer, who was 
hanged at Tyburn, felt the severity of government, the 
proofs against the rest amounting to no convictive evidence. 

10. The commons about this time finding many abuses 
had crept into the court of chancery, which either impeded 
justice or rendered it venal, they resolved to impeach the 
chancellor, Thomas earl of Macclesfield, at the bar of the 
house of lords, for high crimes and misdemeanors. 11. 
This was one of the most laborious and best contested trials 
in the annals of England. The trial lasted twenty days. 
The earl proved, that the sums he had received for the sale 
of places in chancery had been usually received by former 
lord chancellors ; but reason told that such receipts were 
contrary to strict justice. Equity, therefore, prevailed 
above precedent ; the earl was convicted of fraudulent prac- 
tices, and condemned to a fine of thirty thousand pounds, 
with imprisonment till the sum should be paid, which was 
accordingly discharged about six weeks after. 

12. In this manner, the corruption, venality, and avarice 



310 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

of the times had increased with the riches and luxury of the 
nation. Commerce introduced fraud, and wealth introduced 
prodigality. 

It must be owned that the parliament made some new 
efforts to check the progress of vice and immorality, which 
now began to be diffused through every rank of life. But 
they were supported neither by the co-operation of the 
ministry, nor the voice of the people. 

13. It was now two years since the king had visited his 
electoral dominions of Hanover. He, therefore, soon after 
the breaking up of the parliament, prepared for a journey 
thither. (A. D. 1727.) Having appointed a regency in his 
absence, he embarked for Holland, and lay upon his land- 
ing at a little town called Voet. Next day he proceeded 
on his journey, and in two days more, between ten and 
eleven at night, arrived at Delden, to all appearance in per- 
fect health. 14. He supped there very heartily, and conti* 
nued his progress early the next morning, but between 
eight and nine ordered his coach to stop. It being per- 
ceived that one of his hands lay motionless, Monsieur Fa- 
brice, who had formerly been servant to the king of Swe- 
den, and who now attended king George, attempted to 
quicken the circulation, by chasing it between his hands. 
15. As this had no effect, the surgeon, who followed on 
horseback, was called, and he also rubbed it with spirits. 
Soon after the king's tongue began to swell, and he had just 
strength enough to bid them hasten to Osnaburgh. Then 
falling insensibly into Fabrice's arms, he never recovered, 
but expired about eleven o'clock the next morning, in the 
sixty-eighth year of his age, and the thirteenth of his reign. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the conduct of the South Sea scheme ? 

2. Explain the nature of it. 

3. What proposition was made to the ministry ? 

4. What were the terms ? 

5. What part of the scheme was full of fraud and ruin ? 

6. What success attended it? 

8. How were the principal delinquents punished ? 

9. What persons were now seized as obnoxious to government ? 

10. On what charge was the earl of Macclesfield impeached ? 

11. Relate the particulars of his trial. 

12. What was now the state of the nation ? 

13. About what time did the king prepare to visit his electoral dominions ? 

14. What happened on his progress thither ? 

15. In what manner did the king die ? and what was his age ? 



GEORGE II. 



311 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. ad. 

Clement XI 1700 

Innocent XIII 1721 

Benedict XIII 1724 

Emperor of Germany. 
Charles VI 1711 

Emperor of the Turks. 
Achmetlll 1703 

Emperor of Russia. 
Feter the Great, first 
emperor 1 722 



Empress of Russia. 

A.D. 

Catherine 1 1725 

Kings of France. 

Louis XIV 1643 

Louis XV 1715 

King of Spain. 
Philip V 1700 

King of Portugal. 
John V 1707 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



King of Denmark. 

A.D. 

Frederick IV 1699 

King and Queen of 
Sweden. 

Charles XII 1697 

Utricia Leonora... 1718 

King of Prussia. 
Frederic II 1713 



Sir William Windham. Sir Robert Wal pole. William Pulteney. Francis, 
bishop Atterbury. John, lord Hervey. John Perceval, earl of Egmont, 
&c. &c. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



GEORGE II. 



Born 1683. Died October 25, 1760. Began to reign June 11, 1727. 
Reigned 33^ years. 



SECTION I. 



1. (A.D. 1727.) Upon the death of George the First, his 
son George the Second came to the crown ; a man of infe- 
rior abilities to the late king, and strongly biased with a 
partiality to his dominions on the continent. The chief 
person, and he who shortly after engrossed the greatest 
share of power under him, was sir Robert Walpole, who 
had risen from low beginnings, through two successive 
reigns, into great estimation. 2. He was considered as a 
martyr to his cause in the reign of queen Anne ; and when 
the tory party could no longer oppress him, he still pre- 
served that hatred against them with which he set out. To 
defend the declining prerogative of the crown might, per- 
haps, have been the first object of his attention; but soon 
after, those very measures by which he pretended to secure 
it, proved the most effectual means to lessen it. By cor- 
rupting the house of commons, he increased their riches 



312 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

and power ; and they were not averse to voting away those 
millions which he permitted them so liberally to share. 

3. As such a tendency in him naturally produced opposi- 
tion, he was possessed of a most phlegmatic insensibility to 
reproach, and a calm dispassionate manner of reasoning 
upon such topics as he desired should be believed. His 
discourse was fluent, but without dignity, and his manner 
convincing, from its apparent want of art. 

4. The Spaniards were the first nation who showed the 
futility of the treaties of the former reign to bind, when any 
advantage was to be produced by infraction. The people 
of our West India Islands had long carried on an illicit 
trade with the subjects of Spain upon the continent, but 
whenever detected, were rigorously punished, and their 
cargoes confiscated to the crown. 5. In this temerity of 
adventure, on the one hand, and the vigilance of pursuit 
and punishment on the other, it must often have happened 
that the innocent must suffer with the guilty, and many 
complaints were made, perhaps founded in justice, that the 
English merchants were plundered by the Spanish king's 
vessels upon the southern coast of America, as if they had 
been pirates. 

6. The English ministry, unwilling to credit every report 
which was inflamed by resentment, or urged by avarice, 
expected to remedy the evils complained of by their favourite 
system of treaty, and in the mean time promised the nation 
redress. At length, however, the complaints became more 
general, and the merchants remonstrated by petition to the 
house of commons, who entered into a deliberation on the 
subject. 7. They examined the evidence of several who 
had been unjustly seized, and treated with great cruelty. 
One man, the master of a trading vessel, had been used by 
the Spaniards in a most shocking manner ; he gave in his 
evidence with great precision, informed the house of the 
manner they had plundered and stripped him, of their cut- 
ting off his ears, and their preparing to put him to death. 
" I then looked up," said he, " to my God for pardon, and 
to my country for revenge." 

8. These accounts raised a flame among the people, 
which it was neither the minister's interest nor perhaps that 
of the nation to indulge ; new negotiations were set on 
foot, and new mediators offered their interposition. A treaty 
was signed at Vienna, between the emperor, the king of 
Great Britain, and the king of Spain, which settled the 



GEORGE II. 313 

peace of Europe upon its former footing, and put off the 
threatening war for a time. 9. By this treaty the king of 
England conceived hopes that all war would be at an end. 
Don Carlos, upon the death of the duke of Parma, was, by 
the assistance of an English fleet, put in peaceable posses- 
sion of Parma and Placentia, while six thousand Spaniards 
were quietly admitted, and quartered in the dutchy of Tus- 
cany, to secure for him the reversion of that dukedom 

10. An interval of peace succeeded, in which nothing 
remarkable happened, and scarcely any contest ensued, ex- 
cept in the British parliament, where the disputes between 
the court and country party were carried on with unceasing 
animosity. 

11. (A.D. 1731.) A society of men, in this interested 
age of seeming benevolence, had united themselves into a 
company, by the name of the Charitable Corporation ; and 
their professed intention was to lend money at legal interest 
to the poor, upon small pledges, and to persons of higher 
rank upon proper security. Their capital was at first limited 
to thirty thousand pounds, but they afterwards increased it 
to six hundred thousand. 12. This money was supplied 
by subscription, and the care of conducting the capital was 
intrusted in a proper number of directors. This company 
having continued for more than twenty years, the cashier, 
George Robinson, member for Marlow, and the warehouse- 
keeper, John Thompson, disappeared in one day. Five 
hundred thousand pounds of capital was found to be sunk 
and embezzled by means which the proprietors could not 
discover. 13. They, therefore, in a petition, represented 
to the house the manner in which they had been defrauded, 
and the distress to Avhich many of the petitioners were re- 
duced. A secret committee being appointed to examine 
into this grievance, a most iniquitous scene of fraud was 
discovered, which had been carried on by Robinson and 
Thompson, in concert with some of the directors, for em- 
bezzling the capital, and cheating the proprietors. Many 
persons of rank and quality were concerned in this infamous 
conspiracy ; and even some of the first characters in the 
nation did not escape censure. 14. A spirit of avarice and 
rapacity infected every rank of life about this time : no less 
than six members of parliament were expelled for the most 
sordid acts of knavery. Sir Robert Sutton, sir Archibald 
Grant, and George Robinson, for their frauds in the manage- 
ment of the Charitable Corporation scheme ; Dennis Bond 

2D 



314 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

and serjeant Birch, for a fraudulent sale of the late unfortu- 
nate earl of Derwentwater's large estate ; and, lastly, John 
Ward, of Hackney, for forgery. 15. Luxury had given 
birth to prodigality, and that was the parent of the meanest 
arts of peculation. It was asserted in the house of lords, 
at that time, that not one shilling of the forfeited estates was 
ever applied to the service of the public, but became the 
reward of fraud and venality. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By whom was George the First succeeded ? 

Who engrossed the greatest share of power under him ? 

2, 3. What measures did Walpole pursue? what was his character? 
4, 5. Under what circumstances did the dispute with Spain originate ? 

6. What was the conduct of the English ministry ? 

7. Relate the evidence of one who had been treated with great cruelty by 

the Spaniards. 

8. What for a time prevented the threatening war ? 

10. In the interval of peace did any thing remarkable happen ? 

1 1 . What was the origin of the Charitable Corporation ? 

12. By whom was its capital embezzled ? 

13. What followed the detection of this fraud ? 

14. What members of parliament were expelled for the most sordid acts of 

knavery ? 

1 5. What remarkable assertion was made in the house of lords at this time ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A. D. 1732.) A scheme, set on foot by sir Robert 
Walpole, soon after engrossed the attention of the public, 
which was to fix a general excise. The minister introduced 
it into the house, by going into detail of the frauds practised 
by the factors in London, who were employed by the Ame- 
rican planters in selling their tobacco. 2. To prevent these 
frauds, he proposed, that, instead of having the custom levied 
in the usual manner upon tobacco, all hereafter to be imported 
should be lodged in warehouses appointed for that purpose 
by the officers of the crown ; that it should from thence be 
sold, upon paying the duty of fourpence a pound, when the 
proprietor found a purchaser. 3. This proposal raised a 
violent ferment, not less within doors than without. It was 
asserted that it would expose the factors to such hardships, 
that they would not be able to continue their trade, and that 



GEORGE II. 315 

such a scheme would not even prevent the frauds complained 
of. It was added, that a number of additional excisemen 
and warehouse-keepers would thus be employed, which 
would at once render the ministry formidable, and the people 
dependent. 4. Such were the arguments made use of to 
stir up the citizens to oppose this law : arguments rather 
specious than solid, since, with all its disadvantages, the tax 
upon tobacco would thus be more safely and expeditiously 
collected, and the avenues to numberless frauds would be 
shut up. The people, however, were raised into such a fer- 
ment, that the parliament-house was surrounded with mul- 
titudes, who intimidated the ministry, and compelled them 
to drop the design. The miscarriage of the bill was cele- 
brated with public rejoicings in London and Westminster, 
and the minister was burned in effigy by the populace of 
London. 

5. Ever since the treaty of Utrecht, the Spaniards in 
America had insulted and distressed the commerce of Great 
Britain, and the British merchants had attempted to carry on 
an illicit trade in their dominions. A right which the Eng- 
lish merchants claimed by treaty, of cutting logwood in the 
bay of Campeachy, gave them frequent opportunities of 
pushing in contraband commodities upon the continent ; so 
that, to suppress the evil, the Spaniards were resolved to an- 
nihilate the claim. 6. This liberty of cutting logwood had 
often been acknowledged, but never clearly ascertained ; in 
all former treaties it was considered as an object of too little 
importance to make a separate article in any negotiation. 
The Spanish vessels appointed for protecting the coast con- 
tinued their severities upon the English ; many of the sub- 
jects of Britain were sent to dig in the mines of Potosi, and 
deprived of all means of conveying their complaints to those 
who might send them redress. 7. One remonstrance fol- 
lowed another to the court of Madrid of this violation of 
treaty ; but the only answers given were promises of inquiry, 
which produced no reformation. Our merchants complained 
loudly of these outrages, but the ministers vainly expected 
from negotiations that redress which was only to be obtained 
by arms. 

8. The fears discovered by the court of Great Britain 
only served to increase the insolence of the enemy ; and 
their guard-ships continued to seize not only all the guilty, 
but the innocent, whom they found sailing along the Spanish 
main. At last, however, the complaints of the English 



316 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

merchants were loud enough to interest the house of com- 
mons ; their letters and memorials were produced, and their 
grievances enforced by council at the bar of the house. 9. It 
was soon found that the money which Spain had agreed to 
pay to the court of Great Britain was withheld, and no rea- 
son assigned for the delay. The minister, therefore, to gratify 
the general ardour, and to atone for his former deficiencies, 
assured the house that he would put the nation in a condition 
for war. Soon after, letters of reprisal were granted against 
the Spaniards ; and this being on both sides considered as 
an actual commencement of hostilities, both diligently set 
forward their armaments by sea and land. 10. In this 
threatening situation, the French minister at the Hague de- 
clared that his master was obliged by treaty to assist the 
king of Spain ; so that the alliances, which but twenty years 
before had taken place, were now quite reversed. At that 
time France and England were combined against Spain ; at 
present France and Spain were united against England ; 
such little hopes can statesmen place upon the firmest trea- 
ties, where there is no superior power to compel the observ- 
ance. 

11. (A. D. 1739.) A rupture between England and Spain 
being now become unavoidable, the people, who had long 
clamoured for war, began to feel uncommon alacrity at its 
approach ; and the ministry, finding it inevitable, began to 
be as earnest in preparation. Orders were issued for aug- 
menting the land forces, and raising a body of marines. 
War was declared with proper solemnity, and soon after 
two rich Spanish prizes were taken in the Mediterranean. 
12. Admiral Vernon, a man of more courage than expe- 
rience, of more confidence than skill, was sent as comman- 
der of a fleet into the West Indies, to distress the enemy in 
that part of the globe. He had asserted in the house of 
commons, that Porto Bello, a fort and harbour in South 
America, could be easily destroyed, and that he himself 
would undertake to reduce it with six ships only. 13. A 
project which appeared so wild and impossible was ridiculed 
by the ministry ; but as he still insisted upon the proposal, 
they complied with his request, hoping that his want of suc- 
cess might repress the confidence of his party. In this, how- 
ever, they were disappointed; for with six ships only he 
attacked and demolished all the fortifications of the place, 
and came away victorious with scarcely the loss of a man. 
This victory was magnified at home in all the strains of 



GEORGE II. 317 

panegyric, and the triumph was far superior to the value of 
the conquest. 

14. While vigorous preparations were making 1 in other 
departments, a squadron of ships was equipped for distress- 
ing the enemy in the South Seas, the command of which 
was given to commodore Anson. This fleet was destined to 
sail through the Straits of Magellan, and, steering northwards 
along the coast of Chili and Peru, to co-operate occasionally 
with admiral Vernon across the isthmus of Darien. The 
delays and mistakes of the ministry frustrated that part of 
the scheme, which was originally well laid. 15. When it 
was too late in the season, the commodore set out with five 
ships of the line, a frigate, and two smaller ships, with about 
fourteen hundred men. Having reached the coast of Brazil, 
he refreshed his men for some time on the island of St. 
Catherine, a spot that enjoys all the fruitfulness and verdure 
of the luxurious tropical climate. From thence he steered 
downward into the cold and tempestuous regions of the south ; 
and in about five months after, meeting a terrible tempest, 
he doubled Cape Horn. 16. By this time his fleet was dis- 
persed, and his crew deplorably disabled with the scurvy ; 
so that with much difficulty he gained the delightful island 
of Juan Fernandez. There he was joined by one ship, and 
a vessel of seven guns. From thence advancing northward, 
he landed on the coast of Chili, and attacked the city of 
Paita by night. 17. In this bold attempt he made no use 
of his shipping, nor even disembarked all his men ; a few 
soldiers, favoured by darkness, sufficed to fill the whole 
town with terror and confusion. The governor of the gar- 
rison, and the inhabitants, fled on all sides ; accustomed to 
be severe, they expected severity. In the mean time a 
small body of the English kept possession of the town for 
three days, stripping it of treasures and merchandise to a 
considerable amount, and then setting it on fire. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What scheme now engrossed the puhlic attention ? 

2. How did the minister propose to effect it? 

3. What were the arguments used in opposition to this measure ? 

4. What was their success ? 

5. From what cause originated the dispute with Spain ? 

6. What was the conduct of the Spaniards ? 

7. What measures were taken by the English merchants I 

8. What continued to be the conduct of the enemy ? 

9. What induced the minister to gratify the general ardour of the nation 
In what manner did the war commence ? 

2d2 



318 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

10. Under what pretence did France assist Spain ? 

11. What was the feeling of the people at the approach of the war? 

12. What did admiral Vernon assert in the house of commons ? 

13. Relate the success of this expedition. 

14 — 17. Describe the proceedings of the squadron under commodore Anson, 
from its sailing to the taking of Paita. 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1740.) Soon after, this small squadron advanced 
as far as Panama, situated on the isthmus of Darien, on the 
western side of the great American continent. The com- 
modore now placed all his hopes in taking one of those 
valuable Spanish ships which trade from the Philippine 
islands to Mexico. Not above one or two at the most of 
these immensely rich ships went from one continent to the 
other in a year ; they were, therefore, very large, in order 
to carry a sufficiency of treasure, and proportionably strong 
to defend it. 2. In hopes of meeting with one of these, the 
commodore, with his little fleet, traversed the Pacific Ocean ; 
but the scurvy once more visiting his crew, several of his 
men died, and almost all were disabled. In this exigence, 
having brought all his men into one vessel, and set fire to 
another, he steered for the island of Tinian, which lies 
about halfway between the new world and the old. 3. In 
this charming abode he continued for some time, till his 
men recovered their health, and his ship was refitted for 
sailing. 

Thus refitted, he set forward for China, where he laid in 
proper stores for once more traversing back that immense 
ocean, in which he had before suffered such incredible dif- 
ficulties. 4. Having accordingly taken some Dutch and 
Indian sailors on board, he again steered towards America, 
and at length, after various toils, discovered the Spanish gal- 
leon he had so long and ardently expected. This vessel 
was built as well for the purpose of war as for merchandise. 
It mounted sixty guns and five hundred men, while the 
crew of the commodore did not amount to half that number. 
5. However, the victory was on the side of the English, 
and they returned home with their prize, which was esti- 
mated at three hundred and thirteen thousand pounds ster- 
ling, while the different captures that had been made before 
amounted to as much more. Thus, after a voyage of three 



GEORGE II. 319 

years, conducted with astonishing perseverance and intre- 
pidity, the public sustained the loss of a noble fleet, but a 
few individuals became possessed of immense riches. 

6. In the mean time the English conducted other opera- 
tions against the enemy with amazing activity. When 
Anson set out, it was with a design of acting a subordinate 
part to a formidable armament designed for the coast of New 
Spain, consisting of twenty-nine ships of the line, and almost 
an equal number of frigates, furnished with all kinds of 
warlike stores, nearly fifteen thousand seamen, and as 
many land-forces. Never was a fleet more completely 
equipped, nor never had the nation more sanguine hopes of 
success. Lord Cathcart was appointed to command the 
land-forces; but he dying on the passage, the command 
devolved upon general Wentworth, whose abilities were 
supposed to be unequal to the trust reposed in him. 

7. When the forces were landed at Carthagena, they 
erected a battery, with which they made a breach in the 
principal fort, while Vernon, who commanded the fleet, 
sent'a number of ships into the harbour to divide the fire of 
the enemy, and to co-operate with the army on shore. 8. 
The breach being deemed practicable, a body of troops 
were commanded to storm ; but the Spaniards deserted the 
forts, which, if possessed of courage, they might have de- 
fended with success. The troops, upon gaining this advan- 
tage, were advanced a good deal nearer the city ; but there 
they met a much greater opposition than they had expected. 

9. It was found, or at least asserted, that the fleet could not 
lie near enough to batter the town, and that nothing re- 
mained but to attempt one of the forts by scaling. The 
leaders of the fleet and the army began mutually to accuse 
each other, each asserting the probability of what the other 
denied. At length, Wentworth, stimulated by the admiral's 
reproach, resolved to try the dangerous experiment, and 
ordered that fort St. Lazare should be attempted by scalade. 

10. Nothing could be more unfortunate than this undertak- 
ing ; the forces marching up to the attack, the guides were 
slain, and they mistook their way. Instead of attempting 
the weakest part of the fort, they advanced to where it 
was the strongest, and where they were exposed to the fire 
of the town. Colonel Grant, who commanded the grena- 
diers, was killed in the beginning. 11. Soon after it was 
found that their scaling ladders were too short ; the officers 
were perplexed for want of orders, and the troops stood ex- 



320 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

posed to the whole fire of the enemy, without knowing how 
to proceed. After bearing a dreadful fire for some hours 
with great intrepidity, they at length retreated, leaving six 
hundred men dead on the spot. 12. The terrors of the 
climate soon began to be more dreadful than those of war ; 
the rainy season came on with such violence, that it was 
impossible for the troops to continue encamped ; and the 
mortality of the season now began to attack them in all its 
frightful varieties. To these calamities, sufficient to quell 
any enterprise, was added the dissension between the land 
and sea commanders, who blamed each other for every 
failure, and became frantic with mutual recrimination. They 
only, therefore, at last, could be brought to agree in one 
mortifying measure, which was to re-embark the troops, 
and withdraw them as quickly as possible from this scene of 
slaughter and contagion. 

13. This fatal miscarriage, which tarnished the British 
glory, was no sooner known in England, than the kingdom 
was filled with murmurs and discontent. The loudest burst 
of indignation was directed at the minister ; and they who 
once praised him for success he did not merit, condemned 
him now for a failure of which he was guiltless. 

14. (A. D. 1741.) The minister, finding the indignation 
of the house of commons turned against him, tried every art 
to break that confederacy, which he knew he had not 
strength to oppose. The resentment of the people had been 
raised against him to an extravagant height ; and their lead- 
ers taught them to expect very signal justice on their sup- 
posed oppressor. At length, finding his post untenable, he 
declared he would never sit more in that house ; the next 
day the king adjourned both houses of parliament for a few 
days, and in the interim sir Robert Walpole was created earl 
of Orford, and resigned all his employments. 

15. But the pleasure of his defeat was but of short dura- 
tion ; it soon appeared that those who declared most loudly 
for the liberty of the people, had adopted new measures 
with their new employments. The new converts were 
branded as betrayers of the interests of their country ; but 
particularly the resentment of the people fell upon Pulteney, 
earl of Bath, who had long declaimed against that very 
conduct he now seemed earnest to pursue. 16. He had 
been the idol of the people, and considered as one of the 
most illustrious champions that had ever defended the cause 
of freedom; but allured, perhaps, with the hope of go- 



GEORGE II. 321 

verning in Walpole's place, he was contented to give up his 
popularity for ambition. The king, however, treated him 
with that neglect which he merited ; he was laid aside for 
life, and continued a wretched survivor of all his formei 
importance. 



Questions for Examination. 
1 — 4. Relate briefly the further proceedings of the squadron under commo 
dore Anson till the capture of the rich Spanish galleon. 

5. What was the result of this enterprise ? 

6. What other operations were undertaken ? 

7 — 9. Describe the particulars of the siege of Carthagena. 
10, 11. What causes rendered it unsuccessful ? 

12. What was then the situation of the English troops? 

13. What was the consequence of this miscarriage? 

14. What was the minister's conduct ? 

15. Did the conduct of his successors render them favourites of the people ? 
On whom particularly did the public resentment fall ? 

16. In what light had Pulteney formerly been considered by the people ? 



SECTION IV. 

2. (A. D. 1740.) The emperor dying in the year 1740, 
the French began to think this a favourable opportunity for 
exerting their ambition once more. Regardless of treaties, 
particularly that called the Pragmatic sanction, by which 
the reversion of all the late emperor's dominions was set- 
tled upon his daughter, they caused the elector of Bavaria 
to be crowned emperor. Thus the queen of Hungary, 
daughter to Charles the Sixth, descended from an illustrious 
line of emperors, saw herself stripped of her inheritance, 
and left for a whole year deserted by all Europe, and without 
any hopes of succour. 2. She had scarcely closed her 
father's eyes, when she lost Silesia, by an irruption of the 
young king of Prussia, who seized the opportunity of her 
defenceless state to renew his ancient pretensions to that 
province, of which it must be owned his ancestors had been 
unjustly deprived. France, Saxony, and Bavaria attacked 
the rest of her dominions ; England was the only ally that 
seemed willing to espouse her helpless condition. Sardinia 
and Holland soon after came to her assistance, and last of all 
Russia acceded to a union in her favour. 

3. It may now be demanded what cause Britain had to 
intermeddle in those continental schemes. It can only be 
answered, that the interests of Hanover, and the security 



322 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

of that electorate, depended upon nicely balancing the dif- 
ferent interests of the empire ; and the English ministry- 
were willing to gratify the king. 

4. Accordingly the king sent a body of English forces 
into the Netherlands, which he had augmented by sixteen 
thousand Hanoverians, to make a diversion upon the do- 
minions of France, in the queen of Hungary's favour ; and 
by the assistance of these the queen of Hungary soon began 
to turn the scale of victory on her side. 5. The French 
were driven out of Bohemia. Her general, prince Charles, 
at the head of a large army, invaded the dominions of Ba- 
varia. Her rival, the nominal emperor, was obliged to fly 
before her ; and being abandoned by his allies, and stripped 
of even his hereditary dominions, retired to Frankfort, where 
he lived in obscurity. 

6. (A. D. 1743.) The French, in order to prevent the 
junction of the Austrian and British forces, assembled an 
army of sixty thousand men on the river Mayne under the 
command of marshal Noailles, who posted his troops upon 
the east side of that river. The British forces, to the num- 
ber of forty thousand, pushed forward on the other side into 
a country where they found themselves entirely destitute of 
provisions, the French having cut off all means of their 
being supplied. 7. The king of England arrived at the 
camp while his army was in this deplorable situation ; 
wherefore he resolved to penetrate forward to join twelve 
thousand Hanoverians and Hessians, who had reached 
Hanau. With this view he decamped ; but before his army 
had reached three leagues, he found the enemy had enclosed 
him on every side, near a village called Dettingen. 

8. Nothing now presented themselves but the most mor- 
tifying prospects. If he fought the enemy, it must be at the 
greatest disadvantage ; if he continued inactive, there was a 
certainty of being starved ; and a retreat for all was impos- 
sible. The impetuosity of the French troops saved his 
whole army. They passed a defile, which they should 
have been contented to guard : and, under the command of 
the duke of Grammont, their horse charged the English 
foot with great fury. They were received with intrepidity 
and resolution ; so that they were obliged to give way, and 
repass the Mayne with precipitation, with the loss of five 
thousand men. 

9. Meanwhile the French went on with vigour on every 
side. They projected an invasion of England ; and Charles, 



GEORGE II. 323 

the son of the old pretender, departed from Rome, in the 
disguise of a Spanish courier, for Paris, where he had an 
audience of the French king. 

10. The family had long been the dupes of France ; but 
it was thought at present there were serious resolutions 
formed in their favour. The troops destined for the expedi- 
tion amounted to fifteen thousand men ; preparations were 
made for embarking them at Dunkirk, and some of the ports 
nearest to England, under the eye of the young pretender. 
11. The duke de Roquefeuille, with twenty ships of the 
line, was to see them safely landed in England ; and the fa- 
mous count Saxe was to command them when put on shore. 
But the whole project was disconcerted by the appearance 
of sir John Norris, who, with a superior fleet, made up to 
attack them. The French fleet was thus obliged to put 
back ; a very hard gale of wind damaged their transports 
beyond redress ; and the French, now frustrated in their 
scheme of a sudden descent, thought fit openly to declare war. 

12. The French, therefore, entered upon the war with 
great' alacrity. They besieged Fribourg, and in the begin- 
ning of the succeeding campaign invested the strong city of 
Tournay. Although the allies were inferior in number, and 
although commanded by the duke of Cumberland, yet they 
resolved, if possible, to save the city by hazarding a battle. 
They accordingly marched against the enemy, and took post 
in sight of the French, who were encamped on an eminence, 
the village of St. Antoine on the right, a wood on the left, 
and the town of Fontenoy before them. 13. This advan- 
tageous situation did not repress the ardour of the English, 
who began the attack at two o'clock in the morning, and, 
pressing forward, bore down all opposition. They were 
for nearly an hour victorious, and confident of success, while 
Saxe, a soldier of fortune, who commanded the French army, 
was at that time sick of the same disorder of which he after- 
wards died. However, he was carried about to all the posts 
in a litter, and assured his attendants that, notwithstanding 
all unfavourable appearances, the day was his own. 14, 
A column of the English, without any command, but by 
mere mechanical courage, had advanced upon the enemy's 
lines, which, opening, formed an avenue on each side to re- 
ceive them. It was then that the French artillery on the 
three sides began to play on this forlorn body, which, though 
they continued for a long time unshaken, were obliged at 
last to retreat. 



324 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

15. This was one of the most bloody battles that had 
been fought in this age ; the allies left on the field nearly 
twelve thousand men, and the French bought their victory 
with nearly an equal number of slain. 

This blow, by which Tournay was taken by the French, 
gave them such a manifest superiority all the rest of the 
campaign, that they kept the fruits of their victory during 
the whole continuance of the war. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. On the death of the emperor of Austria, what was the conduct of the 

French ? 

2. Describe the situation of the emperor's daughter. 

3. What cause had Britain to intermeddle in continental schemes ? 

4. 5. With what success was Britain's interference attended ? 

6—8. Relate the circumstances which preceded and attended the battle of 
Dettingen. 

9. What other project did the French endeavour to effect ? 
10, 11. What success attended their measures ? 
12. What preceded the battle of Fontenoy ? 
13, 14. Relate the particulars of this battle. 
15. What loss did each side experience ? 



SECTION V. 

1. (A.D. 1745.) But though bad success attended the 
British arms by land and sea, yet these being distant evils, 
the English seemed only to complain from honourable mo- 
tives, and murmured at distresses of which they had but a 
very remote prospect. A civil war was now going to be 
kindled in their own dominions, which mixed terrors with 
their complaints ; and which, while it increased their per- 
plexities, only cemented their union. 

2. It was at this period that the son of the old pretender 
resolved to make an effort for gaining the British crown. 
Charles Edward, the adventurer in question, had been bred 
in a luxurious court without partaking of its effeminacy. 
He was enterprising and ambitious ; but, either from inex- 
perience or natural inability, utterly unequal to the bold un- 
dertaking. He was long flattered by the rash, the supersti- 
tious, and the needy : he was taught to believe that the 
kingdom was ripe for a revolt, and that it could no longer 
bear the immense load of taxes with which it was burdened. 
3. Being now, therefore, furnished with some money, and 



GEORGE II. 325 

with still larger promises from France, who fanned his am- 
bition, he embarked for Scotland on board a small frigate, 
accompanied by the marquis of Tullibardine, sir Thomas 
Sheridan, and a few other desperate adventurers. Thus, 
for the conquest of the whole British empire, he only brought 
with him seven officers, and arms for two thousand men. 

4. The boldness of this enterprise astonished all Europe. 
It awakened the fears of the pusillanimous, the ardour of the 
brave, and the pity of the wise. But by this time the young 
adventurer was arrived at Perth, where the unnecessary ce- 
remony was performed of proclaiming his father king of 
Great Britain. 5. From thence, descending with his forces 
from the mountains, they seemed to gather as they went for- 
ward ; and, advancing to Edinburgh, they entered that city 
without opposition. There again the pageantry of procla- 
mation was performed ; and there he promised to dissolve 
the union, which was considered as one of the grievances 
of the country. However, the castle of that city still held 
out, and he was unprovided with cannon to besiege it. 

6.' In the mean time, sir John Cope, who had pursued 
the rebels through the Highlands, but had declined meeting 
them in their descent, being now reinforced by two regi- 
ments of dragoons, resolved to march towards Edinburgh, 
and give the enemy battle. The young adventurer, whose 
forces were rather superior, though undisciplined, attacked 
him near Preston-pans, about twelve miles from the capital, 
and in a few minutes put him and his troops to flight. 7. 
This victory, by which the king lost five hundred men, gave 
the rebels great influence ; and had the pretender taken ad- 
vantage of the general consternation, and marched directly 
for England, the consequence might have been fatal to free- 
dom. But he was amused by the promise of succours which 
never came ; and thus induced to remain at Edinburgh, to 
enjoy the triumphs of an unimportant victory, and to be 
treated as a monarch. 

8. While the young pretender was thus trifling away his 
time at Edinburgh (for, in dangerous enterprises delay is but 
defeat), the ministry of Great Britain took every precaution to 
oppose him with success. Six thousand Dutch troops, that 
had come over to the assistance of the crown, were despatch- 
ed northward, under the command of general Wade. The 
duke of Cumberland soon after arrived from Flanders, and 
was followed by another detachment of dragoons and in- 
fantry, well disciplined, and inured to action. Besides 

3E 



326 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

these, volunteers offered in every part of the kingdom ; and 
every county exerted a vigorous spirit of indignation both 
against the ambition, the religion, and the allies of the young 
pretender. 

9. However, he had been bred in a sehool that taught him 
maxims very different from those that then prevailed in 
England. Though he might have brought civil war, and all 
the calamities attending it with him, into the kingdom, he 
had been taught that the assertion of his right was a duty 
incumbent upon him, and the altering the constitution, and 
perhaps the religion of his country, an object of laudable 
ambition. 10. Thus animated, he went forward with vi- 
gour ; and having, upon frequent consultations with his offi- 
cers, come to a resolution of making an irruption into Eng- 
land, he entered the country by the western border, and 
invested Carlisle, which surrendered in less than three days. 
He there found a considerable quantity of arms, and there 
too he caused his father to be proclaimed king. 

11. General Wade, being apprized of his progress, ad- 
vanced across the country from the opposite shore ; but re- 
ceiving intelligence that the enemy was two days' march 
before him, he retired to his former station. The young 
pretender, thus unopposed, resolved to penetrate farther into 
the kingdom, having received assurances from France that 
a considerable body of troops would be landed on the south- 
ern coasts, to make a diversion in his favour. 12. He was 
flattered also with the hopes of being joined by a considera- 
ble number of malecontents as he passed forward, and that 
his army would increase on his march. Accordingly, leav- 
ing a small garrison in Carlisle, which he should rather have 
left defenceless, he advanced to Penrith, marching on foot 
in a Highland dress, and continued his irruption till he came 
to Manchester, where he established his head-quarters. 

13. He was there joined by about two hundred English, 
who were formed into a regiment, under the command of co- 
lonel Townley. From thence he pursed his march to Derby, 
intending to go by the way of Chester into Wales, where 
he hoped to be joined by a great number of followers ; but 
the factions among his own chiefs prevented his proceeding 
to that part of the kingdom. 

15. He was by this time advanced within a hundred 
miles of the capital, which was filled with perplexity and 
consternation. Had he proceeded in his career with that 
expedition which he had hitherto used, he might have made 



CEORGE II. 327 

himself master of the metropolis, where he would certainly 
have been joined by a considerable number of his well- 
wishers, who waited impatiently for his approach. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the situation of England at this time ? 

2. By whom was an effort made to gain the English crown ? 

3. Under what circumstances was it undertaken ? 

5. What were the first proceedings of the pretender ? 

6. With what success did he attack sir John Cope ? 

7. What were the consequences of this victory ? 

8. What precautions were taken by the English ministry ? 
What was the conduct of the pretender ? 

11. By whom was an attempt made to oppose him? and what was its re- 

sult? 

12. To what places did he next proceed? 

13. By whom was he joined ? and whither did he next march ? 

14. What might have been the result had he proceeded with expedition ? 



SECTION VI. 

1. (A.D. 1745.) In the mean time the king resolved to 
take the field in person. But he found safety from the 
discontents which now began to prevail in the pretender's 
army. In fact, he was but the nominal leader of his forces ; 
as his generals, the chief of the highland clans, were, from 
their education, ignorant, and averse to subordination. They 
had from the beginning began to embrace opposite systems 
of operation, and to contend with each other for pre-emi- 
nence ; but they seemed now unanimous in returning to 
their own country once more. 

2. The rebels accordingly effected their retreat to Carlisle 
without any loss, and from thence crossed the rivers Eden 
and Solway, into Scotland. In these marches, however, 
they preserved all the rules of war ; they abstained in a 
great measure from plunder ; they levied contributions on 
the towns as they passed along ; and with unaccountable 
caution left a garrison at Carlisle, which shortly after was 
obliged to surrender to the duke of Cumberland at discre- 
tion, to the number of four hundred men. 

3. The pretender being returned to Scotland, he proceed- 
ed to Glasgow, from which city he exacted severe contribu- 
tions. He advanced from thence to Stirling, where he was 
joined by lord Lewis Gordon, at the head of some forces, 



328 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

which had been assembled in his absence. Other clans, to 
the number of two thousand, came in likewise ; and from 
some supplies of money which he received from Spain, and 
from some skirmishes, in which he was successful against 
the royalists, his affairs began to wear a more promising as- 
pect. 4. Being joined by lord Drummond, he invested the 
castle of Stirling, commanded by general Blakeney ; but the 
rebel forces, being unused to sieges, consumed much time to 
no purpose. It was during this attempt that general Haw- 
ley, who commanded a considerable body of forces near 
Edinburgh, undertook to raise the siege, and advanced to- 
wards the rebel army as far as Falkirk. After two days 
spent in mutually examining each other's strength, the re- 
bels being ardent to engage, were led on, in full spirits, to 
attack the king's army. 5. The pretender, who was in the 
front line, gave the signal to engage, and the first fire put 
Hawley's forces into confusion. The horse retreated with 
precipitation, and fell upon their own infantry ; while the 
rebels following up the blow, the greatest part of the royal 
army fled with the utmost precipitation. They retired in 
confusion to Edinburgh, leaving the conquerors in posses- 
sion of their tents, their artillery, and the field of battle. 

Thus far the affairs of the rebel army seemed not unpros- 
perous ; but here was an end of all their triumphs. The 
duke of Cumberland, at that time the favourite of the Eng- 
lish army, had been recalled from Flanders, and put him- 
self at the head of the troops at Edinburgh, which consisted of 
about fourteen thousand men. 7. With these he advanced 
to Aberdeen, where he was joined by several of the Scotch 
nobility, attached to the house of Hanover ; and having 
revived the drooping spirits of his army, he resolved to find 
out the enemy, who retreated at his approach. After having 
refreshed his troops at Aberdeen for some time, he renewed 
his march, and in twelve days he came up to the banks of 
the deep and rapid river Spey. This was the place where 
the rebels might have disputed his passage, but they lost 
every advantage in disputing with each other. 8. They 
seemed now totally void of all counsel and subordination, 
without conduct, and without unanimity. After a variety 
of contests among each other, they resolved to wait their 
pursuers upon the plains of Culloden, a place about nine 
miles distant from Inverness, embosomed in hills, except on 
that side which was open to the sea. There they drew up 
in order of battle, to the number of eight thousand men, in 



GEORGE II. 329 

three divisions, supplied with some pieces of artillery, ill 
manned and served. 

9. The battle began about one o'clock in the afternoon ; 
the cannon of the king's army did dreadful execution among 
the rebels, while theirs was totally unserviceable. One of 
the great errors in all the pretender's warlike measures, was 
his subjecting wild and undisciplined troops to the forms of 
artful war, and thus repressing their native ardour, from 
which alone he could hope for success. 10. After they had 
kept in their ranks and withstood the English fire for some 
time, they at length became impatient for closer engagement; 
and about five hundred of them made an irruption upon the 
left wing of the enemy with their accustomed ferocity. 
The first line being disordered by this onset, two battalions 
advanced to support it, and galled the enemy with a terrible 
close discharge. 11. At the same time the dragoons, under 
Hawley, and the Argyleshire militia, pulling down a park 
wall feebly defended, fell among them, sword in hand, with 
great slaughter. In less than thirty minutes they were 
totally routed, and the field covered with their wounded 
and slain, to the number of three thousand men. The 
French troops on the left did not fire a shot, but stood inac- 
tive during the engagement, and afterwards surrendered 
themselves prisoners of war. 12. An entire body of the 
clans marched off the field in order, while the rest were 
routed with great slaughter, and their leaders obliged with 
reluctance to retire. Civil war is in itself terrible, but much 
more so when heightened by unnecessary cruelty. How 
guilty soever an enemy ma)' be, it is the duty of a brave 
soldier to remember that he is only to fight an opposer, and 
not a suppliant. 13. The victory was in every respect 
decisive, and humanity to the conquered would have ren- 
dered it glorious. But little mercy was shown here ; the 
conquerors were seen to refuse quarter to the wounded, the 
unarmed, the defenceless ; some were slain who were only 
excited by curiosity to become spectators of the combat, 
and soldiers were seen to anticipate the base employment of 
the executioner. 14. The duke, immediately after the 
action, ordered six-and-thirty deserters to be executed. 
The conquerors spread terror wherever they came ; and, 
after a short space, the whole country round was one dread- 
ful scene of plunder, slaughter, and desolation ; justice was 
forgotten, and vengeance assumed the name. 
2e2 



330 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the situation of the pretender's army ? 

2. To what place did the rebels retreat? 

3. By whom were they joined ? 

4. What success attended them in besieging Stirling castle? 
Who attempted to raise the siege ? 

5. With what success did the rebels attack the royal army ? 

6. What ended their triumphs ? 

7. What was the conduct of the duke of Cumberland? 

8. What was the determination of the rebel army ? 
What was the amount of their forces ? 

9 — 12. Relate the particulars and result of the battle of Culloden. 
13, 14. What was the conduct of the conquerors ? 



SECTION VII. 

1. (A.D. 1746.) In this manner were blasted all the 
hopes and all the ambition of the young adventurer ; one 
short hour deprived him of imaginary thrones and sceptres, 
and reduced him from a nominal king to a distressed, forlorn 
outcast, shunned by all mankind except those who sought 
his destruction. To the good and the brave, subsequent 
distress often atones for former guilt; and while reason 
would speak for punishment, our hearts plead for mercy. 
2. Immediately after the engagement, he fled away with a 
captain of Fitz-james's cavalry, and, when their horses 
were fatigued, they both alighted, and separately sought 
for safety. He for some days wandered in this country, 
naturally wild, but now rendered more formidable by war, 
a wretched spectator of all those horrors which were the 
result of his ill-grounded ambition. 

3. There is a striking similitude between his adventures 
and those of Charles the Second upon his escape from 
Worcester. He sometimes found refuge in caves and 
cottages, without attendants, and dependent on the wretched 
natives, who could pity, but not relieve him. Sometimes 
he lay in forests, with one or two companions of his dis- 
tress, continually pursued by the troops of the conqueror, 
as there was a reward of thirty thousand pounds offered 
for taking him dead or alive. 4. Sheridan, an Irish adven- 
turer, was the person who kept most faithfully by him, and 
inspired him with courage to support such incredible hard- 
ships. He had occasion, in the course of his concealments, 
to trust his life to the fidelity of above fifty individuals, 



GEORGE II. 331 

whose veneration for his family prevailed above their ava- 
rice. 

5. One day, having walked from morning till night, he 
ventured to enter a house, the owner of which he well 
knew was attached to the opposite party. As he entered 
he addressed the master of the house in the following man- 
ner:* "The son of your king comes to beg a little bread, 
and a few clothes. I know your present attachment to my 
adversaries, but I believe you have sufficient honour not to 
abuse my confidence, or to take advantage of my distressed 
situation. Take these rags, that have for some time been 
my only covering : you may probably restore them to me 
one day, when I shall be seated on the throne of GreaJ; 
Britain." 6. The master of the house was touched with 
pity at his distress ; he assisted him as far as he was able, 
and never divulged the secret. There were few of those, 
who even wished his destruction, that would choose to be 
the immediate actors in it, as it would have subjected them 
to the resentment of a numerous party. 

7. 'In this manner he continued to wander among the 
frightful wilds of Glengary for near six months, often 
hemmed round by his pursuers, but still rescued by some 
lucky accident from the impending danger. At length a 
privateer of St. Maloes, hired by his adherents, arrived 
in Lochnanach, in which he embarked in the most wretched 
attire. He was clad in a short coat of black frieze, thread- 
bare, over which was a common Highland plaid, girt round 
by a belt, from whence were suspended a pistol and a dag- 
ger. He had not been shifted for many weeks ; his eyes 
were hollow, his visage wan,. and his constitution greatly 
impaired by famine and fatigue. 8. He was accompanied 
by Sullivan and Sheridan, two Irish adherents, who had 
shared all his calamities, together with Cameron of Lochiel, 
and his brother, and a few other exiles. . They set sail for 
France : and, after having been chased by two English 
men-of-war, they arrived in safety at a place called Roseau, 
near Morlaix, in Bretagne. Perhaps he would have found 
it more difficult to escape, had not the vigilance of his pur- 
suers been relaxed by a report that he was already slain. 

9. In the mean time, while the pretender was thus pur- 
sued, the scaffolds and the gibbets were preparing for his 
adherents. Seventeen officers of the rebel army were 
hanged, drawn, and quartered, at Kennington-common, in 
the neighbourhood of London. Their constancy in death 



332 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

gained more proselytes to their cause than even perhaps 
their victories would have obtained. Nine were executed 
in the same manner at Carlisle, and eleven at York. A few 
obtained pardon, and a considerable number of common 
men were transported to the plantations in North America. 

10. The earls of Kilmarnock and Cromartie, and the 
lord Balmerino, were tried by their peers, and found guilty. 
Cromartie was pardoned, and the rest were beheaded on 
Tower-hill. 

In this manner victory, defeat, negotiation, treachery, and 
rebellion, succeeded each other rapidly for some years, till 
all sides began to think themselves growing more feeble, 
and gaining no solid advantage. 

11. A negotiation was, therefore, resolved upon; and 
the contending powers agreed to come to a congress at 
Aix-la-Chapelle, where the earl of Sandford and sir Thomas 
Robinson assisted as plenipotentiaries from the king of 
Great Britain. This treaty was begun upon the preliminary 
condition of restoring all conquests made during the war. 
12. From thence great hopes were expected of conditions 
both favourable and honourable to the English ; but the 
treaty still remains a lasting mark of precipitate counsels 
and English disgrace. By this it was agreed, that all pri- 
soners on each side should be mutually restored, and all 
conquests given up. That the dutchies of Parma, Placentia, 
and Guastalla, should be ceded to don Philip, heir-apparent 
to the Spanish throne, and to his heirs ; but in case of his 
succeeding to the crown of Spain, then these dominions 
should revert to the house of Austria. 13. It was con- 
firmed that the fortifications of Dunkirk to the sea should 
be demolished ; that the English ships annually sent with 
slaves to the coast of New Spain should have this privilege 
continued for four years ; that the king of Prussia should 
be confirmed in the possession of Silesia, which he had 
lately conquered ; and that the queen of Hungary should 
be secured in her patrimonial dominions. 14. But one 
article of this peace was more displeasing and afflictive to 
the English than all the rest. It was stipulated that the 
king of Great Britain should, immediately after the ratifica- 
tion of this treaty, send two persons of rank and distinction 
to France, as hostages, until restitution should be made of 
Cape Breton, and all other conquests which England had 
made during the war. 15. This was a mortifying clause; 
but, to add to the general error of the negotiation, no men- 



GEORGE II. 333 

tion was made of the searching the vessels of England in 
the American seas, upon which the war was originally 
begun. The limits of their respective possessions in North 
America were not ascertained ; nor did they receive any 
equivalent for those forts which they restored to the enemy. 
16. The treaty of Utrecht had long been the object of re- 
proach to those by whom it was made ; but with all its 
faults, the treaty now concluded was by far more despicable 
and erroneous. Yet such was the spirit of the times, that 
the treaty of Utrecht was branded with universal contempt, 
and the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was extolled with the 
highest strains of praise. 

17. This treaty, which some asserted would serve for a 
bond of permanent amity, was, properly speaking, but a 
temporary truce ; a cessation from hostilities, which both 
sides were unable to continue. Though the war between 
England and France was actually hushed up in Europe, 
yet in the East and West Indies it still went forward with 
undiminished vehemence ; both sides still willing to offend, 
still offending, and yet both complaining of the infraction. 



Questions for Examination. 

1,2. In what situation was the pretender after the battle of Culloden ? 

3. Whose adventures did his resemble ? 

4. Who was his most faithful attendant ? 

5. In what manner did he address one of his opponents ? 

7. By what means did he escape ? and what was his appearance ? 

8. By whom was he accompanied ? 

9. In what manner were his adherents punished? 

10. What noblemen were beheaded ? 

11. What led to a negotiation between Great Britain and Spain ? 

12. What hopes were expected from this treaty ? What was the result ? 

13. What were its conditions ? 

14. Which article of the peace was very displeasing to the English ? 

15. What was another error in the negotiation? 

16. What opinion was held of this treaty ? 



SECTION VIII. 

1. (A. D. 1750.) A new colony having been formed in 
North America, in the province of Nova Scotia, it was 
thought that thither the waste of an exuberant nation might 
well be drained off; and those bold spirits kept in employ- 
ment at a distance, who might be dangerous if suffered to 
continue in idleness at home. Nova Scotia was a place 



334 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

where men might be imprisoned, but not maintained ; it was 
cold, barren, and incapable of successful cultivation. 2. 
The new colony, therefore, was maintained there with some 
expense to the government in the beginning ; and such as 
were permitted soon went southward to the milder climates, 
where they were invited by an untenanted and fertile soil. 
Thus did the nation ungratefully send off her hardy veterans 
to perish on inhospitable shores, and this they were taught 
to believe would extend their dominions. 

3. However, it was for this barren spot that the English 
and French revived the war, which soon after spread with 
such terrible devastation over every part of the globe. The 
native Indians bordering upon the deserts of Nova Scotia, a 
fierce and savage people, looked from the first with jealousy 
upon these new settlers ; and they considered the vicinity 
of the English as an encroachment upon their native pos- 
sessions. 4. The French, who were neighbours, in like 
manner, and who were still impressed with national animo- 
sity, fomented these suspicions in the natives, and repre- 
sented the English (and with regard to this colony the 
representation might be true) as enterprising and severe. 
Commissaries were, therefore, appointed to meet at Paris, 
to compromise these disputes ; but these conferences were 
rendered abortive by the cavillings of men, who could not 
be supposed to understand the subject in debate. 

5. As this seemed to be the first place where the dissen- 
sions took their rise for a new war, it may be necessary to 
be a little more minute. The French had been the first 
cultivators of Nova Scotia, and by great industry and long 
perseverance had rendered the soil, naturally barren, some- 
what fertile, and capable of sustaining nature, with some 
assistance from Europe. This country, however, had fre- 
quently changed masters, until at length the English were 
settled in the possession, and acknowledged as the rightful 
owners, by the treaty of Utrecht. 6. The possession of 
this country was reckoned necessary to defend the English 
colonies to the north, and to preserve their superiority in the 
fisheries in that part of the world. The French, however, 
who had been long settled in the back part of the country, 
resolved to use every method to dispossess the new-comers, 
and spirited up the Indians to more open hostilities, which 
were represented to the English ministry for some time 
without redress. 

7. Soon after this, another source of dispute began to be 



GEORGE II. 335 

seen in the same part of the world, and promised as much 
uneasiness as the former. The French, pretending first to 
have discovered the mouth of the river Mississippi, claimed 
the whole adjacent country towards New Mexico on the 
east, and quite to the Apalachian mountains on the west. 8. 
In order to assert their claims, they found several English, 
who had settled beyond these mountains from motives of 
commerce, and also invited by the natural beauties of the 
country ; they dispossessed them of their new settlements, 
and built such forts as would command the whole country 
round about. 

9. Not in America alone, but also in Asia, the seeds of 
a new war were preparing to be expanded. On the coasts 
of Malabar, the English and French had, in fact, never 
ceased from hostilities. 

(A. D. 1756.) The ministry, however, in England now 
began a very vigorous exertion in defence of their colonies, 
who refused to defend themselves. Four operations were 
undertaken in America at the same time. Of these, one 
was commanded by colonel Monckton, who had orders to 
drive the French from the encroachments upon the province 
of Nova Scotia. 10. The second, more to the south, was 
directed against Crown Point, under the command of gene- 
ral Johnson. The third, under the conduct of general Shir- 
ley, was destined to Niagara, to secure the forts on that 
river; and the fourth was farther southward still, against 
fort du Quesne, under general Braddock. 

11. In these expeditions Monckton was successful; 
Johnson also was victorious, though he failed in taking the 
fort against which he was sent ; Shirley was thought to 
have lost the season for operation by delay ; Braddock was 
vigorous and active, but suffered a defeat. This bold com- 
mander, who had been recommended to this service by the 
duke of Cumberland, set forward upon this expedition in 
June, and left the cultivated parts of the country on the 10th, 
at the head of two thousand two hundred men, directing his 
march to that part of the country whence major Washington 
had retreated the year before. 12. Being at length within 
ten miles of the French fortress he was appointed to besiege, 
and marching forward through the forest with full confidence 
of success, on a sudden his whole army was astonished by 
a general discharge of arms, both in front and flank, from 
an enemy that still remained unseen. It was now too late 
to think of retreating ; the troops had passed into the defile, 



336 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

which the enemy had artfully permitted them to do before 
they offered to fire. 13. The vanguard of the English now, 
therefore, fell back in consternation upon the main body, 
and the panic soon became general. The officers alone 
disdained to fly, while Braddock himself still continued to 
command his brave associates, discovering at once the 
greatest intrepidity and the greatest imprudence. 14. An 
enthusiast to the discipline of war, he disdained to fly from 
the field, or to permit his men to quit their ranks, when 
their only method of treating the Indian army was by pre- 
cipitate attack, or an immediate desertion of the field of 
battle. At length Braddock, having received a musket-shot 
through the lungs, dropped, and a total confusion ensued. 
All the artillery, ammunition, and baggage of the army was 
left to the enemy ; and the loss sustained by the English 
army might amount to seven hundred men. The remnant 
of the army in this emergency was saved by the courage and 
ability of Washington. 

15. The murmurs, fears, and dissensions which this 
defeat gave rise to, gave the French an opportunity of car- 
rying on their designs in another quarter. The island of 
Minorca, which we had taken from the Spaniards in the 
reign" of queen Anne, was secured to England by repeated 
treaties. But the ministry at this time, being blinded by 
domestic terrors, had neglected to take sufficient precaution 
for its defence, so that the garrison was weak, and no way 
fitted to stand a vigorous siege. 16. The French, there- 
fore, landed near the fortification of St. Philip, which was 
reckoned one of the strongest in Europe, and commanded 
by general Blakeney, who was brave indeed, but rather 
superannuated. The siege was carried on with vigour, and 
for some time as obstinately defended on the side of the 
English ; but the place was at length obliged to capitulate. 



Questions for Examination. 

1, 2. From what motive was the new colony in Nova Scotia furnished with 
inhabitants ? 

3. What was the cause of the renewal of the war ? 

4. Where were commissaries appointed to meet to settle these disputes ? 
What rendered these conferences abortive? 

5. Who had been the first cultivators ofJNova Scotia? 

Who had been acknowledged rightful owners of this country ? 

6. What method did the French use to dispossess the English ? 

8. What other conduct of the French contributed to hasten the war ? 

9, 10. What operations were undertaken by the English ? 
11. What success attended them? 



GEORGE II. 337 

12, 13. Relate the particulars of general Braddock's expedition. 

14. What was the result of it? 

15, 16. What other enterprise did the French undertake ? and with what 

success ? 



SECTION IX. 

1. (A.D. 1757.) The ministry, being apprized of this un- 
expected attack, resolved to raise the siege if possible, and 
sent out admiral Byng, with ten ships of war, with orders 
to relieve Minorca at any rate. Byng accordingly sailed 
from Gibraltar, where he was refused any assistance of men 
from the governor of that garrison, under a pretence that his 
own fortifications were in danger. 2. Upon his approaching 
the island, he saw the French banners displayed upon the 
shore, and the English colours still flying on the castle of 
St. Philip. He had been ordered to throw a body of troops 
into the garrison, but this he thought too hazardous an un- 
dertaking, nor did he even make an attempt. While he 
was thus deliberating between his fears and his duty, his 
attention was quickly called off by the appearance of a 
French fleet, that seemed of nearly equal force to his own. 
3. Confounded by a variety of measures, he seemed re- 
solved to pursue none, and, therefore, gave orders to form 
the line of battle, and act upon the defensive. Byng had 
been long praised for his skill in naval tactics ; and, per- 
haps, valuing most those talents for which he was most 
praised, he sacrificed all claims to courage to the applause 
for naval discipline. The French fleet advanced, a part of 
the English fleet engaged ; the admiral still kept aloof, and 
gave very plausible reasons for not coming into action. The 
French fleet, therefore, slowly sailed away, and no other 
opportunity ever offered of coming to a closer engagement. 

4. Nothing could exceed the resentment of the nation 
upon being informed of Byng's conduct. The ministry 
were not averse to throwing from themselves the blame of 
those measures which were attended with such indifferent 
success, and they secretly fanned the flame. 5. The news 
which soon after arrived of the surrender of the garrison to 
the French, drove the general ferment almost to frenzy. In 
the mean time Byng continued at Gibraltar, quite satisfied 
with his own conduct, and little expecting the dreadful 
storm that was gathering against him at home. Orders, 
2 F 



338 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

however, were soon sent out for putting him under an 
arrest, and for carrying him to England. 6. Upon his 
arrival he was committed to close custody in Greenwich 
hospital, and some arts used to inflame the populace against 
him, who want no incentives to injure and condemn their 
superiors. Several addresses were sent up from different 
counties, demanding justice on the delinquent, which the 
ministry were willing to second. 7. He was soon after 
tried by a court-martial in the harbour of Portsmouth, 
where, after a trial which continued several days, his judges 
were agreed that he had not done his utmost during the 
engagement to destroy the enemy, and therefore they ad- 
judged him to suffer death by the twelfth article of war. 
At the same time, however, they recommended him as an 
object of mercy, as they considered his conduct rather as 
the effect of error than of cowardice. By this sentence they 
expected to satisfy at once the resentment of the nation, and 
yet screen themselves from conscious severity. 8. The 
government was resolved upon showing him no mercy ; the 
parliament was applied to in his favour ; but they found no 
circumstance in his conduct that could invalidate the former 
sentence. Being thus abandoned to his fate, he maintained 
to the last a degree of fortitude and serenity that no way 
betrayed any timidity or cowardice. On the day fixed for 
his execution, which was on board a man-of-war in the 
harbour of Portsmouth, he advanced from the cabin where 
he had been imprisoned, upon deck, the place appointed for 
him to suffer. 9. After delivering a paper, containing the 
strongest assertions of his innocence, he came forward to 
the place where he was to kneel down, and for some time 
persisted in not covering his face ; but his friends repre- 
senting that his looks would possibly intimidate the soldiers 
who were to shoot him, and prevent their taking a proper 
aim, he had his eyes bound with a handkerchief; and then 
giving the signal for the soldiers to fire, he was killed in- 
stantaneously. There appears some severity in Byng's 
punishment ; but it certainly produced soon after very bene- 
ficial effects to the nation. 

10. In the progress of the war the forces of the con- 
tending powers of Europe were now drawn out in the 
following manner. England opposed France in America, 
Asia, and on the ocean. France attacked Hanover on the 
continent of Europe. This country the king of Prussia 
undertook to protect ; while England promised him troops 



GEORGE II. 



339 




Death of Admiral Byng. 

an.l money to assist in the operations. Then again Austria 
had her aims at the dominions of Prussia, and drew the 
elector of Saxony into the same designs. In these views 
she was seconded by France and Sweden, and by Russia, 
who had hopes of acquiring a settlement in the west of 
Europe. 

11. The east was the quarter in which success first 
began to dawn upon the British arms. The affairs of the 
English seemed to gain the ascendency by the conduct of 
Mr. Clive. This gentleman had at first entered the com- 
pany's service in a civil capacity ; but finding his talents 
more adapted to war, he gave up his clerkship, and joined 
among the troops as a volunteer. His courage, which is 
all that subordinate officers can at first show, soon became 
remarkable ; but his conduct, expedition, and military skill 
soon after became so conspicuous as to raise him to the first 
rank in the army. 

12. The first advantage that was obtained from his ac- 
tivity and courage was the clearing the province of Arcot. 
Soon after the French general was taken prisoner ; and the 
nabob, whom the English supported, was reinstated in the 
government of which he had formerly been deprived. 

13. The prince of the greatest power in that country 
declared war against the English from motives of personal 
resentment ; and, levying a numerous army, laid siege to 
Calcutta, one of the principal British forts in that part of 



340 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the world ; but which was not in a state of strength to de- 
fend itself against the attack even of barbarians. The fort 
was taken, having been deserted by the commander ; and 
the garrison, to the number of a hundred and forty-six per- 
sons, were made prisoners. 

14. They expected the usual treatment of prisoners of 
war, and were therefore the less vigorous in their defence ; 
but they soon found what mercy was to be expected from a 
savage conqueror. They were all crowded together into 
a narrow prison, called the Black Hole, of about eighteen 
feet square, and received air only by two small windows to 
the west, which by no means afforded a sufficient circula- 
tion. 15. It is terrible to reflect on the situation of these 
unfortunate men, shut up in this narrow place, in the burning 
climate of the East, and suffocating each other. Their first 
efforts, upon perceiving the effects of their horrid confine- 
ment, were to break open the door of the prison : but, as 
it opened inwards, they soon found that impossible. They 
next endeavoured to excite the compassion or the avarice of 
the guard, by offering him a large sum of money for his 
assistance in removing them into separate prisons; but with 
this he was not able to comply, as the viceroy was asleep, 
and no person dared to disturb him. 16. They were now, 
therefore, left to die without hopes of relief; and the whole 
prison was filled with groans, shrieks, contest, and despair. 
This turbulence, however, soon after sunk into a calm still 
more hideous ! their efforts of strength and courage were 
over, and an expiring languor succeeded. In the morning, 
when the keepers came to visit the prison, all was horror, 
silence, and desolation. Of a hundred and forty-six who 
had entered alive, twenty-three only survived, and of these 
the greatest part died of putrid fevers upon being set free. 

17. The destruction of this important fortress served to 
interrupt the prosperous success of the English company ; 
but the fortune of Mr. Clive, backed by the activity of an 
English fleet under admiral Watson, still turned the scale 
in their favour. Among the number of those who felt the 
power of the English in that part of the world was the 
famous Tullagee Angria, a piratical prince, who had long 
infested the Indian ocean, and made the princes on the 
coast his tributaries. He maintained a large number of 
galleys, and with these he attacked the largest ships, and 
almost ever with success. 18. As the company had been 
greatly harassed by his depredations, they resolved to sub- 



GEORGE II. 341 

due such a dangerous enemy, and attack him in his own 
fortress. In pursuance of this resolution, admiral Watson 
and colonel Clive sailed into his harbour of Geriah ; and 
though they sustained a warm fire as they entered, yet they 
soon threw all his fleet into flames, and obliged his fort to 
surrender at discretion. The conquerors found there a large 
quantity of warlike stores, and effects to a considerable value. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who was sent out to the relief of Minorca ? 

2, 3. What was the conduct of admiral Byng ? 

4. What was the consequence ? 

5. What afterwards followed ? 

6. What treatment did Byng experience ? 

7. What was the result of the court-martial ? 

8. 9. Relate the manner of Byng's execution. 

• 0. In what manner were the contending powers opposed to each other? 

11. In what quarter did success first attend the British arms ? 
From whose conduct? 

12, 13. What were the first operations ? 

14 — 16. Relate the terrible situation of the prisoners confined in the Black 

Hole at Calcutta. 
17, 18: What are the particulars of the success which attended colonel Clive 

and admiral Watson ? 



SECTION X. 

1. (A.D. 1757.) Colonel Clive proceeded to take re- 
venge for the cruelty practised upon the English. About 
the beginning of December he arrived at Balasore, in the 
kingdom of Bengal. He met with little opposition either 
to the fleet or army, till they came before Calcutta, which 
seemed resolved to stand a regular siege. As soon as the 
admiral with two ships arrived before the town, he received 
a furious fire from all the batteries, which he soon returned 
with still greater execution, and in less than two hours 
obliged them to abandon their fortifications. By these 
means the English took possession of the two strongest 
settlements on the banks of the Ganges ; but that of Oeriah 
they demolished to the ground. 

2. Soon after these successes, Hoogly, a city of great 
trade, was reduced, with as little difficulty as the former, 
and all the viceroy of Bengal's storehouses and granaries 
were destroyed. In order to repair these losses, this barba- 
rous prince assembled an army of ten thousand horse and 

2 f 2 



342 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

fifteen thousand foot, and professed a firm resolution of 
expelling the English from all their settlements in that part 
of the world. 3. Upon the first intelligence of his march, 
colonel Clive obtained a reinforcement of men from the 
admiral's ships, and advanced with his little army to attack 
these numerous forces. He attacked the enemy in three 
columns, and, though the numbers were so disproportionate, 
victory soon declared in favour of the English. 

4. The English by these victories having placed a viceroy 
on the throne (for the Mogul had long lost all power in 
India), they took care to exact such stipulations in their 
own favour as would secure them in possession of the 
country whenever they thought proper to resume their 
authority. They were gratified in their avarice to its ex- 
tremest wish ; and that wealth which they had plundered 
from slaves in India, they were resolved to employ in mak- 
ing slaves at home. 

5. From the conquest of the Indians, colonel Clive turned 
to the humbling of the French, who had long disputed 
empire in that part of the world, and soon dispossessed 
them of all their power, and all their settlements. 

6. In the mean time, while conquest shined upon us from 
the East, it was still more splendid in the western world. 
But some alterations in the ministry led to those successes 
which had been long wished for by the nation, and were at 
length obtained. The affairs of war had hitherto been 
directed by a ministry but ill supported by the commons, 
because not confided in by the people. They seemed timid 
and wavering, and but feebly held together, rather by their 
fears than their mutual confidence. 7. When any new 
measure was proposed which could not receive their appro- 
bation, or any new member was introduced into government 
whom they did not appoint, they considered it as an in- 
fringement on their respective departments, and threw up 
their places with disgust, with a view to resume them with 
greater lustre. Thus the strength of the crown was every 
day declining, while an aristocracy filled up every avenue 
to the throne, intent only on the emolument, not the duties 
of office. 

8. This was, at that time, the general opinion of the 
people, and it was too loud not to reach the throne. The 
ministry that had hitherto hedged in the throne were at 
length obliged to admit some men into a share of the govern- 
ment, whose activity at least would counterbalance their 



GEORGE II. 343 

timidity and irresolution. At the head of a newly intro- 
duced party was the celebrated Mr. William Pitt, from 
whose vigour the nation formed very great expectations, and 
they were not deceived. 

9. But though the old ministers were obliged to admit 
these new members into their society, there was no legal 
penalty for refusing to co-operate with them ; they, there- 
fore, associated with each other, and used every art to make 
their new assistants obnoxious to the king, upon whom they 
had been in a manner forced by the people. His former 
ministry flattered him in all his attachments to his German 
dominions, while the new had long clamoured against all 
continental connexions, as utterly incompatible with the 
interest of the nation. These two opinions, carried to the 
extreme, might have been erroneous; but the king was 
naturally led to side with those who favoured his own sen- 
timents, and to reject those who opposed them. 

10. Mr. Pitt, therefore, after being a few months in office, 
was ordered to resign by his majesty's command; and his 
coadjutor, Mr. Legge, was displaced from being chancellor 
of the exchequer. But this blow to his ambition was but 
of short continuance ; the whole nation, almost to a man, 
seemed to rise up in his defence ; and Mr. Pitt and Mr. 
Legge being restored to their former employments, the one 
secretary of state, and the other chancellor of the exche- 
quer, began to act with vigour. 

11. The consequence of the former ill-conducted counsels 
still seemed to continue in America. The generals sent 
over to manage the operations of the war loudly accused 
the timidity and delays of the natives, whose duty it was 
to unite in their own defence. The natives, on the other 
hand, as warmly expostulated against the pride, avarice, 
and incapacity of those sent over to command them. 12. 
General Shirley, who had been appointed to the supreme 
command there, had been for some time recalled, and re- 
placed by lord Loudon ; and this nobleman also soon after 
returning to England, three several commanders were put at 
the head of separate operations. General Amherst com- 
manded that designed against the island of Cape Breton. 
The other was consigned to general Abercrombie, against 
Crown Point and Ticonderoga ; and the third, still more to 
the southward, against Fort du Quesne, commanded by 
brigadier-general Forbes. 

13. Cape Breton, which had been taken from the French 



344 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

during the preceding war, had been returned at the treaty of 
Aix-la-Chapelle. It was not till the English had been put 
in possession of that island that they began to perceive its 
advantageous situation, and the convenience of its harbour 
for annoying the British trade with impunity. It was also 
a convenient port for carrying on their fishery, a branch of 
commerce of the utmost benefit to that nation. The wrest- 
ing it, therefore, once more from the hands of the French, 
was a measure ardently desired by the whole nation. 14. 
The fortress of Louisbourg, by which it was defended, had 
been strengthened by the assistance of art, and was still 
better fortified by the nature of its situation. The garrison 
also was numerous, the commander vigilant, and every 
precaution taken to oppose a landing. An account of the 
operations of the siege can give but little pleasure in abridg- 
ment ; be it sufficient to say, that the English surmounted 
every obstacle with great intrepidity. Their former timidity 
and irresolution seemed to vanish, their natural courage and 
confidence returned, and the place surrendered by capitula- 
tion. The fortifications were soon after demolished, and 
rendered unfit for future protection. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What further successes attended colonel Clive ? 

2, 3. What victory did he obtain over the viceroy of Bengal ? 
4 What was the consequence of these victories ? 

5- How did colonel Clive treat the French ? 
6, 7. What was the conduct of the ministry ? 

8. Who was at the head of the newly introduced party ? 

9. What was the conduct of the old ministry ? 

For what reasons was the king favourable to his former ministers ? 
10. What followed the resignation of the new ministers ? 

12. What generals commanded the American operations? 

13. Why was Cape Breton considered an advantageous situation ? 

14. Relate the particulars of the capture of Louisbourg. 



SECTION XI. 

1. (A.D. 1758.) The expedition of Fort du Quesne was 
equally successful, but that against Crown Point was once 
more defeated. This was now the second time that the 
English army had attempted to penetrate into those hideous 
wilds by which nature had secured the French possessions 
in that part of the world. Braddock fell in the attempt, 



GEORGE II. 345 

a martyr to his impetuosity : too much caution was equally 
injurious to his successor. Abercrombie spent much time 
in marching to the place of action, and the enemy were 
thus perfectly prepared to give him a severe reception. 2. 
As he approached Ticonderoga, he found them deeply in- 
trenched at the foot of the fort, and still farther secured by 
fallen trees, with their branches pointing against him. 
These difficulties the English ardour attempted to surmount: 
but as the enemy, being secure themselves, took aim at 
leisure, a terrible carnage of the assailants ensued ; and the 
general, after repeated efforts, was obliged to order a retreat. 
3. The English army, however, were still superior, and it 
was supposed, that when the artillery was arrived, some- 
thing more successful might be performed ; but the general 
felt too sensibly the terror of the late defeat to remain in 
the neighbourhood of the triumphant enemy. He therefore 
withdrew his troops, and returned to his camp at Lake 
George, from whence he had taken his departure. 

4. But though, in this respect, the English arms were 
unsuccessful, yet upon the whole the campaign was greatly 
in their favour. The taking of Fort du Quesne served to 
remove from their colonies the terror of the incursions of 
the Indians, while it interrupted that correspondence which 
ran along a chain of forts, with which the French had envi- 
roned the English settlements in America. This, therefore, 
promised a fortunate campaign the next year, and vigorous 
measures were taken to ensure success. 

5. Accordingly, on the opening of the following year, the 
ministry, sensible that a single effort carried on in such an 
extensive country could never reduce the enemy, were re- 
solved to attack them in several parts of the empire at once. 
Preparations were also made, and expeditions driven for- 
ward against three different parts of North America at the 
same time. 6. General Amherst, the commander-in-chief, 
with a body of twelve thousand men, was to attack Crown 
Point, that had hitherto been the reproach of the English 
army. General Wolfe was at the opposite quarter to enter 
the river St. Lawrence, and undertake the siege of Quebec, 
the capital of the French dominions in America ; while ge- 
neral Prideaux and sir William Johnson were to attempt a 
French fort near the cataract of Niagara. 

7. The last-named expedition was the first that succeed- 
ed. The fort of Niagara was a place of great importance, 
and served to command all the communication between the 



346 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

northern and western French settlements. The siege was 
begun with vigour, and promised an easy conquest ; but 
general Prideaux was killed in the trenches by the bursting 
of a mortar, so that the whole command of the expedition 
devolved upon general Johnson, who omitted nothing to 
push forward the vigorous operations of his predecessor, to 
which also he added his own popularity with the soldiers 
under him. 8. A body of French troops, who were sensi- 
ble of the importance of this fort, attempted to relieve it ; 
but Johnson attacked them with intrepidity and success ; for 
in less than an hour their whole army was put to the rout. 
The garrison soon after, perceiving the fate of their coun- 
trymen, surrendered prisoners of war. The success of ge- 
neral Amherst was less splendid, though not less servicea- 
ble ; upon arriving at the destined place, he found the forts, 
both of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, deserted and de- 
stroyed. 

9. (A.D. 1759.) There now, therefore, remained but one 
grand and decisive blow to put all North America into the 
possession of the English ; and this was the taking of Que- 
bec, the capital of Canada, a city handsomely built, popu- 
lous and flourishing. Admiral Saunders was appointed to 
command the naval part of the expedition ; the siege by 
land was committed to the conduct of general Wolfe, of 
whom the nation had great expectations. This young sol- 
dier, who was not thirty-five, had distinguished himself on 
many former occasions, particularly at the siege of Louis- 
bourg, a part of the success of which was justly ascribed to 
him, who, without being indebted to family or connexions, 
had raised himself by merit to his present command. 

10. The war in this part of the world had been Hitherto 
carried on with extreme barbarity, and retaliating murders 
were continued without any one's knowing who first began. 
Wolfe, however, disdaining to imitate an example that had 
been set him even by some of his associate officers, carried 
on the war with all the spirit of humanity which it admits 
of. 11. It is not our aim to enter into a minute detail of 
the siege of this city, which could at best only give amuse- 
ment to a few ; it will be sufficient to say, that when we 
consider the situation of a town on the side of a great river, 
the fortifications with which it was secured, the natural 
strength of the country, the great number of vessels and 
floating batteries the enemy had provided for the defence of 
the river, the numerous bodies of savages continually hover- 



CEORGE II. 347 

ing round the English army, we must own there was such a 
combination of difficulties as might discourage and perplex 
the most resolute commander. 12. The general himself 
seemed perfectly sensible of the difficulty of the undertaking. 
After stating, in a letter to the ministry, the dangers that pre- 
sented, " I know," said he, " that the affairs of Great Britain 
require the most vigorous measures. But then the courage 
of a handful of brave men should be exerted only where 
there is some hope of a favourable event. At present the 
difficulties are so various, that I am at a loss how to deter- 
mine." 13. The only prospect of attempting the town with 
success was by landing a body of troops in the night below 
the town, who were to clamber up the banks of the river, 
and take possession of the ground on the back of the city. 
This attempt, however, appeared peculiarly discouraging. 
The stream was rapid, the shore shelving, the bank above 
lined with sentinels, the landing-place so narrow as to be 
easily missed in the dark, and the steepness of the ground 
such as hardly to be surmounted in the day-time. All these 
difficulties, however, were surmounted by the conduct of 
the genera], and the bravery of the men. 14. Colonel How, 
with the light infantry and the Highlanders, ascended the 
woody precipices with admirable courage and activity, and 
dislodged a small body of troops that defended a narrow 
pathway up to the bank ; thus, a few mounting, the general 
drew the rest up in order as they arrived. Monsieur de 
Montcalm, the French commander, was no sooner apprized 
that the English had gained these heights, which he had 
confidently deemed inaccessible, than he resolved to hazard 
a battle, and a spirited encounter quickly began. This was 
one of the most furious engagements during the war. 15. 
The French general was slain ; the second in command 
shared the same fate. General Wolfe was standing on the 
right, where the attack was most warm ; as he stood con- 
spicuous in the front line, he had been aimed at by the ene- 
my's marksmen, and received a shot in the wrist, which, 
however, did not oblige him to quit the field. Having 
wrapped a handkerchief round his hand, he continued giving 
orders without the least emotion, and advanced at the head 
of the grenadiers, with their bayonets fixed : but a second 
ball, more fatal, pierced his breast ; so that, unable to pro- 
ceed, he leaned on the shoulder of a soldier that was next 
him. 16. Now, struggling in the agonies of death, and just 
expiring, he heard a voice cry, " They run !" Upon which 



348 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




Death of General Wolfe. 

he seemed for a moment to revive, and asking who ran, was 
informed the French. Expressing his wonder that they ran 
so soon, and unable to gaze any longer, he sunk on the sol- 
dier's breast, and his last words were, "I die happy!" 
Perhaps the loss of the English that day was greater than 
the conquest of Canada was advantageous. But it is the 
lot of mankind only to know true merit on that dreadful oc- 
casion when they are going to lose it. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the success against Fort du Quesne ? 

2. What difficulties had Abercromhie to encounter ? 

3. To what place did he withdraw his troops ? 

4. What was the general success of the campaign ? 

5. What vigorous measures were adopted the following year ? 

6. By whom were the different expeditions commanded ? 

7. 8. What are the particulars of the expedition which first succeeded ? 
9. What was the next decisive blow ? 

To whom was intrusted the command of the expedition against Quebec? 

10. In what manner did Wolfe carry on the war ? 

11. What was the situation and strength of Quebec? 

12. What was the opinion of the general? 

13. 14. Relate the particulars and success of the siege. 

15. In what manner was general Wolfe wounded ? 

16. Relate his heroic conduct in the agonies of death. 



GEORGE II. 349 



SECTION XII. 

1. (A.D. 1759.) The surrender of Quebec was the con- 
sequence of this victory ; and with it soon after the total 
cession of all Canada. The French, indeed, the following 
season, made a vigorous effort to retake the city ; but by 
the resolution of governor Murray, and the appearance of 
an English fleet under the command of lord Colville, they 
were obliged to abandon the enterprise. 2. The whole 
province was soon after reduced by the prudence and acti- 
vity of general Amherst, who obliged the French army to 
capitulate, and it has since remained annexed to the British 
empire. To these conquests, about the same time was 
added the reduction of the island of Gaudaloupe, under 
commodore Moore and general Hopson ; an acquisition of 
great importance, but which was restored at the succeeding 
peace. 

3. These successes in India and America were great, 
though achieved by no very extensive efforts ; on the con- 
trary, the efforts of the English made in Europe, and the 
operations of their great ally, the king of Prussia, were asto- 
nishing, yet produced no signal advantages. 

4. England was all this time happily retired from the mi- 
series which oppressed the rest of Europe ; yet from her 
natural military ardour, she seemed desirous of sharing those 
dangers of which she was only a spectator. This passion 
for sharing in a continental war was not less pleasing to the 
king of England, from his native attachment, than from a 
desire of revenge upon the plunderers of his country. 5. As 
soon, therefore, as it was known that prince Ferdinand had 
put himself at the head of the Hanoverian army, to assist 
the king of Prussia, his Britannic majesty, in a speech to 
his parliament, observed that the late successes of his ally in 
Germany had given a happy turn to his affairs, which it 
would be necessary to improve. The commons concurred 
in his sentiments, and liberally granted supplies both for the 
service of the king of Prussia, and for enabling the army 
formed in Hanover to act vigorously in conjunction with 
him. 

6. From sending money over into Germany, the nation 
began to extend their benefits ; and it was soon considered 
that men would be a more grateful supply. Mr. Pitt, who 
2 G 



350 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

had at first come into popularity and power by opposing 
such measures, was now prevailed on to enter into them 
with even greater ardour than any of his predecessors. 7. 
The hopes of putting a speedy end to the war by vigorous 
measures, the connexions with which he was obliged to co- 
operate, and perhaps the pleasure he found in pleasing the 
king, altogether incited him eagerly to push forward a con- 
tinental war. However, he only conspired with the general 
inclinations of the people at this time, who, assured by the 
noble efforts of their only ally, were unwilling to see him 
fall a sacrifice to the united ambition of his enemies. 

8. In order to indulge the general inclination of assisting 
the king of Prussia, the duke of Marlborough was at first 
sent into Germany, with a small body of British forces to 
join prince Ferdinand, whose activity against the French 
began to be crowned with success. After some small suc- 
cesses gained by the allied army at Crevelt, the duke of 
Marlborough dying, the command devolved upon lord George 
Sackville, who was at that time a favourite with the British 
army. 9. However, a misunderstanding arose between him 
and the commander-in-chief, which soon had an occasion of 
being displayed at the battle of Minden, which was fought 
soon after. The cause of this secret disgust on both sides 
is not clearly known; it is thought that the extensive genius 
and the inquisitive spirit of the English general were by no 
means agreeable to his superior in command, who hoped to 
reap some pecuniary advantages the other was unwilling to 
permit. 10. Be this as it will, both armies advancing near 
the town of Minden, the French began the attack with great 
vigour, and a general engagement of the infantry ensued. 
Lord George, at the head of the British and Hanoverian 
horse, was stationed at some distance on the right of the in- 
fantry, from which they were divided by a scanty wood that 
bordered on a heath. The French infantry giving ground, 
the prince thought that this would be a favourable opportu- 
nity to pour down the horse among them, and accordingly 
sent lord George orders to come on. 11. These orders 
were but ill-observed ; and whether they were unintelligible 
or contradictory, still remains a point for posterity to debate 
upon. It is certain that lord George shortly after was re- 
called, tried by a court-martial, found guilty, and declared 
incapable of serving in any military command for the future. 
12. The enemy, however, were repulsed in all their at- 
tacks with considerable loss, and at length, giving way, were 



GEORGE II. 351 

pursued to the very ramparts of Minden. The victory was 
splendid, but laurels were the only advantage reaped from 
the field of battle. 

13. After these victories, which were greatly magnified 
in England, it was supposed that one reinforcement more of 
British troops would terminate the war in favour of the allies, 
and a reinforcement was quickly sent. The British army 
in Germany now, therefore, amounted to above thirty thou- 
sand men, and the whole nation was flushed with the hopes 
of immediate conquest. But these hopes soon vanished, in 
finding victory and defeat successively following each other. 
The allies were worsted at Corbac, but retrieved their ho- 
nour at Exdorf. A victory at Warbourgh followed shortly 
after, and another at Zirenburg ; but then they suffered a 
defeat at Compen, after which both sides went into winter- 
quarters. 14. The successes thus on either side might be 
considered as a compact, by which both engaged to lose 
much and gain little ; for no advantage whatever followed 
from victory. The English at length began to open their 
eyes to their own interest, and found that they were waging 
unequal war, and loading themselves with taxes, for con- 
quests that they could neither preserve nor enjoy. 



Questions for Examination. 

1, 2. What consequence followed this victory? 

4. What passion operated for sharing in a continental war? 

5. What observation did his majesty make to the commons ? and how did 

they concur in his sentiments ? 
6, 7. What was Mr. Pitt's conduct ; and what were the general inclinations 
of the people ? 

8. What English commander was first sent to Germany ? 

9. What caused the misunderstanding which took place between the com- 

manders ? 
10, 11. How did lord George Sackville act at the battle of Minden ? 

12. What was the success of it? 

13. What followed these victories? 

14. In what light might the events of this war be considered ? 



SECTION XIII. 



1. (A.D. 1759.) It must be confessed, that the efforts of 
England at this time over every part of the globe, were 
amazing, and the expense of her operations greater than had 
ever been disbursed by any nation before. The king of 



352 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Prussia received a subsidy ; a large body of her forces com- 
manded the extensive peninsula of India; another army of 
twenty thousand men confirmed their conquests in North 
America ; there were thirty thousand men employed in 
Germany, and several other bodies dispersed in different 
garrisons in various parts of the world ; but all these were 
nothing to the force maintained at sea, which carried com- 
mand wherever it came, and had totally annihilated the 
French power on that element. 2. The courage and con- 
duct of the English admirals had surpassed whatever had 
been read in history ; neither superior force nor number, 
nor even the terrors of the tempest, could intimidate them. 
Admiral Hawke gained a complete victory over an equal 
number of French ships, on the coast of Bretagne, in Qui- 
beron Bay, in the midst of a tempest, during the darkness 
of night ; and what a seaman fears more, upon a rocky shore. 

3. Such was the glorious figure the British nation appear- 
ed in to all the world at this time. But while their arms 
prospered in every effort tending to the real interests of the 
nation, an event happened, which for a time obscured the 
splendour of her victories. On the twenty-fourth of Octo- 
ber, the king, without having complained of any previous 
disorder, was found by his domestics expiring in his cham- 
ber. 4. He had arisen at his usual hour, and observed to 
his attendants, that, as the weather was fine, he would take 
a walk in the garden of Kensington, where he then resided. 
In a few minutes after his return, being left alone, he was 
heard to fall down upon the floor. The noise of this bring- 
ing his attendants into the room, they lifted him into bed, 
where he desired, with a faint voice, that the princess Ame- 
lia might be sent for : but, before she could reach the apart- 
ment, he expired. An attempt was made to bleed him, but 
without effect ; and afterwards the surgeons, upon opening 
him, discovered that the right ventricle of the heart was 
ruptured, and that a great quantity of blood was discharged 
through the aperture. 

5. (Oct. 25, 1760.) George the Second died in the se- 
venty-seventh year of his age, and thirty-third of his reign, 
lamented by his subjects, and in the midst of victory. If 
any monarch was happy in the peculiar mode of his death, 
and the precise time of its arrival, it was he. 6. The uni- 
versal enthusiasm for conquest was now beginning to sub- 
side, and sober reason to take her turn in the administration 
of affairs. The factions which had been nursing during his 



GEORGE II. 353 

long reign had not yet come to maturity ; but threatened, 
with all their virulence, to afflict his successor. He was 
himself of no shining abilities ; and while he was permitted 
to guide and assist his German dominions, he intrusted the 
care of Great Britain to his ministers at home. However, 
as we stand too near to be impartial judges of his merits or 
defects, let us state his character, as delivered by two writ- 
ers of opposite opinions. 

7. " On whatever side," says his panegyrist, " we look 
upon his character, we shall find ample matter for just and 
unsuspected praise. None of his predecessors on the throne 
of England lived to so great an age, or enjoyed longer feli- 
city. His subjects were still improving under him in com- 
merce and arts ; and his own economy set a prudent example 
to the nation, which, however, they did not follow. He 
was in temper sudden and violent ; but this, though it influ- 
enced his conduct, made no change in his behaviour, which 
was generally guided by reason. 8. He was plain and di- 
rect in his intentions, true to his word, steady in his favour 
and protection of his servants, not parting even with his mi- 
nisters till compelled to it by the violence of faction. In 
short, through the whole of his life, he appeared rather to 
live for the cultivation of useful virtues than splendid ones ; 
and, satisfied with being good, left others their unenvied 
greatness." 

9. Such is the picture given by his friends, but there 
are others who reverse the medal. "As to the extent of 
his understanding, or the splendour of his virtue, we rather 
wish for opportunities of praise than undertake the task 
ourselves. His public character was marked with a predi- 
lection for his native country, and to that he sacrificed all 
other considerations. 10. He was not only unlearned him- 
self, but he despised learning in others : and though genius 
might have flourished in his reign, yet he neither promoted 
it by his influence nor example. His frugality bordered 
upon avarice ; and he hoarded not for his subjects, but him- 
self." Which of these two characters is true, or whether 
they may not in part be both so, I will not pretend to decide. 
If his favourers are numerous, so are they who oppose him ; 
let posterity, therefore, decide the contest. 



Questions for Examination. 
1 What astonishing efforts did Britain make to carry on the war I 
2. in what manner was the courage of the English admirals shown ? 
2g2 



354 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



3. What important event obscured the lustre of these victories ? 

4. What circumstances preceded the king's death ? 
What was the cause of his death ? 

5. What was his age, and how long did he reign ? 

6. What was the situation of the country at that time ? 

7. 8. What is the character of the king as given by his friends ? 
9, 10. What, as given by his enemies ? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. 

A.D. 

Benedict XIII 1724 

Clement XII 1738 

Benedict XIV 1740 

Clement XI II 1758 

Emperors of Germany. 

Charles VI." 1711 

Charles VII 1740 

Francis Stephen... 1745 

Emperors and Empresses 
of Russia. 

Peter II 1727 

Anne 1730 

John 1740 



A.D. 

Elizabeth 1741 

King of France. 
Louis XV 1715 

Kings of Spain. 

Philip V. (restored) 1724 
Ferdinand VI 1745 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Achmetlll 1703 

Mahomet V 1730 

Osmanll 1754 

Mustapha III 1757 

EMINENT PERSONS. 



Kings of Portugal. 

A.D. 

JohnV 1707 

Joseph 1750 

Kings of Denmark. 

Frederick IV 1699 

Christian VI 1730 

Frederick V 1746 

Kings of Sweden. 

Frederick 1720 

Adolphus 1750 

Kings of Prussia. 

Frederick II 1713 

Frederick III 1740 



William Pitt, earl of Chatham. Admiral Hawke. General Wolfe. Alex- 
ander Pope. James Thomson. Dr. Young. John, lord Carteret. Philip, 
earl of Hard wick. Henry Pelham. H. lord Hyde and Cornbury. Horatio, 
lord Walpole. George Booth, earl of Warrington. J. Hamilton, earl of Aber- 
corn, &c. &c. &c. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



GEORGE III. 

Born 1738. Died 1820. Began to reign 1760. Reigned 59 years. 

SECTION I. 



1. (October 25, 1760.) Though the health of George II. 
had been long declining, his death was totally unexpected, 
and the ministry, being unprepared for such an event, felt 
not a little embarrassed when they first waited on their new 
sovereign. George III., who succeeded, was the son of 
Frederick, prince of Wales, and Augusta, princess of Saxe- 
Gotha. In consequence of the premature death of his 



GEORGE III. 355 

father, who died without ascending the throne, his education 
had devolved upon his mother, by whom he was brought up 
in the strictest privacy. She had unfortunately quarrelled 
with the late king, and the prince, though now in his twenty- 
second year, had been consequently such a stranger to the 
court of his grandfather, that he was unacquainted even with 
the persons of the ministers. 2. His first address to the 
council was gracious and conciliatory : the only remarkable 
occurrence that distinguished the opening of the new reign 
was the elevation of the earl of Bute to the office of privy 
counsellor. 3. The parliament was assembled in Novem- 
ber, and the king's first speech gave universal satisfaction 
to the country. The civil list was fixed at the annual sum 
of 800,000/. ; and liberal supplies were voted for the main- 
tenance of the war in which the country was engaged. 
The king, in return for this instance of affection on the part 
of the people, assented to a bill for further securing the inde- 
pendence of the judges, by providing that their offices should 
not be vacated on the demise of the crown. 

4. (A.D. 1761.) The act of settlement prohibiting the 
sovereigns of Britain from intermarrying with Roman Ca- 
tholics, his majesty was precluded from seeking a consort in 
the great families of Europe ; he therefore selected as his 
bride a daughter of the house of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, a 
small principality in the north of Germany ; the marriage 
was celebrated on the 8th of September, and on the 22d of 
the same month the ceremony of the coronation was per- 
formed with great pomp and magnificence. 

5. The war which had been carried on with great spirit 
and success under the auspices of Mr. Pitt, continued to be 
supported with unabated vigour ; prince Ferdinand, at the 
head of the allies, pursued his victorious career in Germany, 
and Belleisle was captured by a British force under the 
command of admiral Keppel and general Hodgson. The 
French court, terrified at these losses, made an abortive at- 
tempt to obtain peace, but having failed in this, a successful 
application for assistance was made to the king of Spain, 
and a secret treaty, called the Family Compact, was made 
between the two powers. 6. This transaction, though 
carefully concealed, did not escape the penetration of Mr. 
Pitt ; he warned his colleagues of the insidious designs of 
Spain, and urged them to send out a fleet to intercept the 
Spanish flota, or strike some other decisive blow before the 
hostile projects of that court were ripe for execution. This 



356 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

proposal was very coolly received by the other members of 
the cabinet ; they were not in possession of all the informa- 
tion which their colleague had obtained, and they were 
besides jealous of the influence which Mr. Pitt's superior 
popularity conferred. The project was finally rejected, and 
Mr. Pitt immediately resigned. As a mark of gratitude, 
however, for his eminent public services, a pension of 
3000/. a year was settled on him for three lives, and his 
wife was created baroness Chatham. 

7. The retirement of this popular minister was generally 
attributed to the secret influence of the earl of Bute, who 
was supposed to have obtained complete ascendency over 
the mind of his royal master. This suspicion created ge- 
neral displeasure among the people ; on the lord mayor's 
day, when his majesty and suite proceeded to dine in the 
city, the king and queen were received with coldness and 
silence, the earl of Bute was grossly insulted, but Mr. Pitt 
was welcomed with the loudest acclamations. 

8. In a few months the wisdom of Mr. Pitt's anticipa- 
tions was fully established ; the hostile designs of Spain 
could no longer be concealed, and when the British ambas- 
sador remonstrated, he received nothing but evasive answers, 
or flat refusals to all his demands. He was in consequence 
recalled, and in a short time after a declaration of war was 
published against Spain. 

9. A new parliament being assembled, the consideration 
of a provision for the queen, in the event of her surviving 
his majesty, was recommended from the throne. An annu- 
ity of 100,000/. was settled on her for life, together with 
the palace of Somerset house (afterwards exchanged for 
Buckingham house), and the lodge and lands of Richmond 
park. 

10. (A.D. 1762.) No change of importance had hitherto 
been made in the cabinet, except the appointment of the 
earl of Bute to the office of secretary of state ; but a more 
important alteration had long been meditated, one that in- 
volved almost a complete revolution in the domestic policy 
of England. Since the accession of the house of Bruns- 
wick, the administration of public affairs had been prin- 
cipally confided to some of the great families, by whose 
exertions that race of sovereigns had been placed upon the 
throne. Their power had been considerably strengthened 
by the suppression of the two rebellions in 1715 and 1745 ; 
and the two former kings, more attached to their German 



GEORGE III. 357 

dominions than to their British kingdoms, surrendered the 
government of these countries to their ministers without 
reluctance. The new sovereign of Britain was entirely- 
free from German predilections ; in the court of his mother 
he had been taught to dislike the politics of his grandfather, 
and he had no longer any reason to dread dangers from the 
change, for the claims of the young pretender had long since 
sunk into total insignificance. Unfortunately, the earl of 
Bute, to whom the management of such an important change 
was confided, did not possess abilities equal to the task. 
His domestic virtues, his refined taste, and generous liberality- 
had made him deservedly beloved in private life ; but his 
reserved habits, his coldness of manner, and his total igno- 
rance of state affairs, made his public career odious to the 
people, painful to himself, and injurious to the popularity of 
his sovereign. 

11. It was resolved to get rid of the Pelham family, 
which had been so long at the head of affairs ; the duke 
of Newcastle was made so uneasy in his situation, that he 
resigned his post as first lord of the treasury, and was suc- 
ceeded by the earl of Bute ; the greater part of the ministers 
imitated the duke's example ; and even the duke of Devon- 
shire, whose exertions in behalf of the Hanoverian succes- 
sion had been rewarded by the place of lord chamberlain, 
found it necessary to resign his situation. A furious paper- 
war ensued, and party spirit, which had slept during the 
triumphant administration of Mr. Pitt, was revived, and 
raged with unparalleled fury. National prejudices contri- 
buted to fan the flame ; the earl of Bute was a Scotchman, 
and the old jealousy between the natives of the northern and 
southern divisions of the country was made a formidable 
engine of party hostility. 

12. The war was carried on with equal vigour and suc- 
cess by the new administration. The French and Spaniards 
having in vain endeavoured to detach the Portuguese from 
their alliance with England, sent an army to invade the 
country : but an English body of auxiliaries was imme- 
diately despatched to Portugal, and the progress of the in- 
vaders was soon checked. At first, indeed, the bigoted 
Portuguese refused to unite cordially with their heretical 
allies ; but when count de la Lippe was appointed to the 
command of their armies, he entered cordially into the views 
of the English general, and the Spaniards were defeated in 
two decisive engagements. Spain suffered still more se- 



358 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



verely in other quarters of the globe; Havannah, with 
plunder to the amount of three millions sterling - , was taken 
by the earl of Albemarle and admiral Pococke ; the city 
of Manilla surrendered to general Draper and admiral Corn- 
ish ; it was ransomed for the stipulated sum of one million, 
but the Spaniards violated their engagements, and the ran- 
som was never paid. Two valuable treasure ships, con- 
taining property to the amount of two millions sterling, 
were about the same time captured by British cruisers. 
(August 12, 1762.) While the wagons that conveyed the 
treasure taken from the Spanish vessels to the Tower were 
passing in front of the palace, the cannon in the park an- 
nounced the birth of a prince of Wales, and this coincidence 
not a little increased the public joy at this happy event. 

13. While the arms of England were thus triumphant in 
various quarters of the globe, the king of Prussia, her prin- 
cipal, and, indeed, her almost only ally, after a series of 
brilliant exploits, which have immortalized his name, seemed 
to have been brought to the very brink of ruin by the junc- 
tion of the Russians with his inveterate enemies. At the 
very moment, however, that his destruction seemed certain, 
he was rescued by one of those sudden revolutions which 
baffle all human calculation. Elizabeth, empress of Russia, 
dying, was succeeded by her nephew, Peter III., who was 
an enthusiastic admirer of the Prussian king ; he not only 
concluded a peace with Frederick, but even joined his arms 
to those of that monarch, and began to act hostilely against 
his former allies. Peter was, however, soon dethroned by 
his subjects; Catharine II., his consort, then became em- 
press of Russia ; she withdrew her forces from those of the 
king of Prussia, and resolved to maintain a strict neutrality. 
Frederic was not slow in availing himself of these favour- 
able circumstances, and soon amply retrieved his former 
losses. 

14. All parties were now seriously anxious for the resto- 
ration of peace. France was deprived of her colonial pos- 
sessions, and saw her commerce on the brink of ruin ; Spain 
had suffered still more severely ; the Austrians and Prus- 
sians were wearied of campaigns, which left the armies at 
their close nearly in the same situation they occupied at the 
commencement; and England, notwithstanding her triumphs, 
felt that a continuation of such exertions would soon ex- 
haust her resources. The seven years' war was terminated 
by a general peace, by which England was permitted to re- 



GEORGE in. 359 

tain Canada and several other conquests, receiving also from 
Spain, Florida, in exchange for the Havannah. 15. Though 
the terms of the peace were very favourable to the interests 
of the English, yet the nation, intoxicated by success, re- 
gretted the termination of the war. The articles had been 
signed several months before the city of London could be 
prevailed upon to present a tardy and reluctant address of 
congratulation -, and on the day of its presentation, the lord- 
mayor (Beckford) refused to attend, and the bells of the 
different churches rung muffled peals during the procession. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By whom was George II. succeeded ? 

2. Did any thing remarkable occur at the first meeting of the privy council ? 

3. What proceedings took place in parliament? 

4. To whom did George III. unite himself in marriage ? 

5. Did any circumstances tend to show hostile dispositions in the Spanish 

court ? 

6. Under what circumstances did Mr. Pitt resign his office ? 

7. What were the consequences of his resignation? 

8. Were Mr. Pitt's suspicions of the Spanish court well founded ? 

9. What dowry was settled on the queen ? 

10. What great change took place in the administration ? 

11. Did any evil consequences result from the change of ministry? 

12. How was the war conducted ? what triumphs did the English obtain ? 

13. By what means was the king of Prussia rescued from his difficulties? 

14. Why were all parties anxious to terminate the war ? 

15. Was the peace popular in England ? 



SECTION II. 

1. (A.D. 1763.) Tranquillity might naturally have 
been expected at the conclusion of a glorious war, but this 
was prevented by the domestic dissensions which party 
spirit produced. The earl of Bute's unpopularity still con- 
tinued, but his influence was apparently unabated, for not- 
withstanding the most vigorous efforts of the opposition, he 
prevailed upon parliament to impose a tax upon cider, 
which, without producing any great revenue, gave infinite 
dissatisfaction to the nation. Immediately after this triumph, 
his lordship, to the great surprise of every one, resigned his 
post and retired into private life. 2. He was succeeded by 
Mr. George Grenville. The press soon teemed with the 
most virulent libels from the partisans of the several factions 
that divided the country. In these productions the person 



360 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 

of the sovereign was not always spared, until at length the 
ministry was roused by the appearance of No. 45 of the 
North Briton, a periodical paper conducted by Mr. Wilkes, 
the member for Aylesbury, in which it was stated that the 
king had uttered a deliberate falsehood in his speech to par- 
liament. This was an offence which could not be passed 
over, and a general warrant was issued for the arrest of the 
author, printers, and publishers of that paper. Mr. "Wilkes 
was arrested and sent to the Tower ; several innocent per- 
sons were taken into custody, and the ministry found that 
in their eagerness to punish a delinquent, they had unfortu- 
nately raised a great constitutional question, which must of 
necessity be decided against them. 

3. The printers taken up under the warrant, brought 
actions against the messengers by whom they had been 
arrested, and recovered heavy damages. Mr. Wilkes also 
having been brought by habeas corpus before the court of 
common pleas, was liberated, the judges being unanimously 
of opinion, that privilege of parliament extended to the case 
of writing a libel. The house of commons gave a different 
decision. They voted that No. 45 of the North Briton 
was a false, scandalous, and seditious libel, and that the 
author of such was not protected by privilege of parliament. 
Soon after, Mr. Wilkes fought a duel with Mr. Martin, 
whom he had libelled, and was severely wounded ; he had 
scarcely recovered from its effects when he thought fit to 
retire to France. (A. D. 1764.) During his absence, he was 
expelled the house of commons, and driven to an outlawry 
in the court of king's bench for not appearing to stand his 
trial. The only advantage that resulted from this struggle, 
was the declaration of the illegality of general warrants by 
a resolution of both houses of parliament. 

4. (A. D. 1765.) The immense expenditure incurred 
during the late war had involved the country in considerable 
difficulties, and it was considered only just that the Ame- 
rican colonies, whose interests had been most regarded in 
the treaty of peace, should bear their proportion of the 
public burdens ; accordingly, a bill for imposing stamp 
duties on all mercantile transactions in the colonies was in- 
troduced by Mr. Grenville, and passed into a law with but 
little opposition. The Americans had been for some time 
previously very indignant at the treatment they had received 
from the mother-country ; their profitable trade with the 
Spanish colonies had been destroyed by new fiscal regula- 



GLOKGE III. 361 

tions ; the Indians had harassed their back settlements, and 
no royal forces were sent to check the progress of the bar- 
barians ; when, therefore, news arrived that taxes were 
about to be imposed on the colonies by a parliament in 
which they were not represented, public indignation knew 
no bounds, and the colonial legislatures sent remonstrances 
couched in very strong language to the parliament and the 
throne. 5. The progress of these dissensions was, however, 
arrested by the downfall of the Grenville administration ; 
the minister having omitted the name of the king's mother 
in the bill for providing a council of regency in case of any 
emergency, so displeased his majesty, that he was compelled 
to send in his resignation. A new ministry was formed, 
principally by the exertions of the duke of Cumberland, at 
the head of which was placed the marquis of Rockingham, 
a nobleman conspicuous for his public and private virtues, 
but not distinguished by super-eminent abilities. 

6. (A. D. 1766.) The chief business of the new ministry 
was to undo all that their predecessors had done ; the stamp 
act, which had excited so much dissatisfaction in America, 
and the cider tax, which was equally unpopular in England, 
were both repealed, and these judicious measures were fol- 
lowed by a brief interval of tranquillity. 

7. (A. D. 1767.) The Rockingham administration was 
so weakened by the death of the duke of Cumberland, that 
it was broken up, and a new cabinet formed under the aus- 
pices of Mr. Pitt, who was created earl of Chatham, and 
the duke of Grafton was placed at its head, as first lord of 
the treasury. The attention of government was first directed 
to the affairs of the East India company, which had been 
thrown into confusion by the avarice and rapacity of their 
servants. Lord Clive was sent out to India, with full powers 
to remedy these evils, and under his administration the com- 
pany soon recovered its former prosperity, and laid the 
foundations of future greatness. 8. The unfortunate design 
of taxing America was again revived ; an act was passed 
for granting duties on all glass, paper, painters' colours, and 
tea imported into the British colonies ; which the Americans 
resisted by petitions, remonstrances, and agreements not to 
use British manufactures until the obnoxious duties were 
repealed. An act was also passed enjoining the colonies to 
provide his majesty's troops with necessaries in their quar- 
ters ; the colonial house of assembly, in the state of New 
York, peremptorily refused obedience, and another act was 

2 H 



362 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

passed restraining the assembly from making laws until 
they had complied with the terms of the former statute. 

9. (A. D. 1768.) The natural date of the parliament 
having nearly expired, it was dissolved, and writs issued 
for the election of a new one. Wilkes embraced the op- 
portunity of returning from exile which a change of minis- 
try afforded ; he offered himself a candidate for Middlesex, 
and was elected by an overwhelming majority. He then 
surrendered himself to the court of king's bench, and pro- 
cured the reversal of his outlawry ; he was, however, sen- 
tenced to pay a fine of a thousand pounds, and to be im- 
prisoned for twenty-two months. As he was esteemed a 
martyr in the cause of liberty, a subscription was opened 
for paying his fine, supporting him while in prison, and 
compounding his debts, which amounted to more than 
twenty thousand pounds. 10. The disturbances in America 
still continued to increase, and the states of New England 
were particularly remarkable for their determined hostility 
to the new duties. Descended from the puritans and re- 
publicans, who had left England after the restoration of 
Charles II., and sought in the wilds of America the liberty 
of conscience denied to them at home, the New Englanders 
possessed in no ordinary degree the spirit of independence, 
and the obstinate resolution which had characterized the 
soldiers of Fairfax and Cromwell. In Boston the commis- 
sioners of customs were so severely handled, that they were 
forced to take refuge from the fury of the populace in fort 
William ; and to preserve the peace of the town, it was 
deemed necessary to send thither two regiments of foot 
from Halifax, and as many from Ireland. 

11. The situation of Ireland began also to give the 
minister considerable uneasiness ; by Poyning's law, passed 
in the reign of Henry VII., and extended by several sub- 
sequent statutes, the legislature of that country had been 
made so completely dependent on the British government, 
that it was become a mere nullity. An unwise and unjust 
spirit of commercial jealousy induced the English to abuse 
the advantages which they had obtained, and several im- 
politic restrictions were imposed on Irish commerce and 
manufactures. These measures produced little or no ad- 
vantage to the English, while they crushed the rising ener- 
gies of the sister kingdom ; but they were obstinately main- 
tained, for the age was not yet sufficiently enlightened to 
discover that the prosperity of one country was intimately 



GEORGE III. 363 

connected with that of the other. A strong party had, 
however, been formed in Ireland to achieve the legislative 
independence of their country, and they gained no small part 
of their object, by the passing of the octennial act, which 
limited the duration of Irish parliaments to eight years, for 
they had been previously dissolved only on the demise of 
the crown. 

12. In the East Indies, the English were assailed by an 
enemy more formidable than any they had hitherto met in 
that quarter. Hyder Ally, who had raised himself from the 
rank of a common sepoy to that of a sovereign prince, com- 
menced hostilities against the company's settlements, and 
for several years kept them in a state of incessant alarm. 

13. When the new parliament met, the people imagined 
that Mr. Wilkes would be liberated to take his seat, and 
therefore assembled in great numbers in St. George's fields, 
round the king's bench prison, in order to conduct him to 
the house of commons. The Surry justices took the alarm, 
and read the riot act, but the multitude refusing to disperse, 
the military were called out, and unfortunately ordered to 
fire. One man was killed on the spot, and a great number 
were wounded, several mortally. It happened that a Scotch 
regiment had been employed in this lamentable affair, a 
circumstance which not a little increased the public indig- 
nation. Verdicts of wilful murder against the soldiery 
were returned by the different inquests, and on the sub- 
sequent trials several of the soldiers were found guilty of 
murder. 

14. The government by no means participated in the 
popular feeling ; not only were pardons granted to those 
who had been convicted, but the secretary of state, lord 
Weymouth, sent a letter to the justices thanking them for 
their spirited conduct. This document was published by Mr. 
Wilkes, with an indignant commentary, in which he termed 
the affair " a horrid massacre," and added a virulent invec- 
tive against the entire conduct of the government. 15. For 
this publication Mr. Wilkes was expelled the house of com- 
mons, and with strange inconsistency, the causes assigned 
for his expulsion included not only his late offence, but the 
former acts for which he had already atoned by undergoing 
judicial punishment. This complication of charge afforded 
just grounds of complaint, and not a little tended to give 
Wilkes a decided superiority over his opponents. (A. D. 
1769.) The freeholders unanimously re-elected him, but 



364 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the house considered the election void, and issued a new 
writ. The same proceedings were twice repeated ; until at 
length colonel Luttrell was prevailed upon to offer himself 
as candidate. Wilkes was once more returned by an im- 
mense majority, the votes for him being 1143, while those 
for his opponent amounted only to 269 ; the house of com- 
mons, notwithstanding, declared that Luttrell was and ought 
to be the sitting member. 

16. This was considered, with some show of justice, a 
fatal blow to the liberties of the subject; petitions and re- 
monstrances of the most daring nature poured in from all 
parts of the kingdom ; the press teemed with the most 
virulent attacks on all the constituted authorities, some went 
so far as to deny the legality of the present parliament, and 
the obligation of the people to obey its laws. An anonymous 
writer, named Junius, was particularly distinguished by the 
fierce severity of his attacks on the ministry, and by the 
superior brilliancy of his style, which still preserves his 
celebrated letters from the oblivion into which party pro- 
ductions usually fall. Meantime the disputes . with the 
colonists continued to be maintained with unabated zeal ; 
and the Irish parliament showed such a determination to 
throw off the yoke, that it was found necessary to elude their 
demands by a prorogation. 



Questions for Examination, 

1. How was the tranquillity of the country disturbed ? 

2. What circumstances took place respectuig No. 45 of the North Briton ? 

3. How did the affair terminate ? 

4. What circumstances led to disunion between England and the American 

colonies ? 

5. How was the Grenville ministry overthrown ? 

6. By what means was tranquillity restored ? 

7. What was the first measure of ihe Grafton administration ? 

8. By what act was the discontent of the Americans revived ? 

9. How did Wilkes behave on the change of ministry ? 

10. In what manner did the Americans conduct themselves ? 

11. Was any important change made in the Irish legislature ? 

12. Did any new power appear in the East Indies? 

13. What unfortunate event took place in St. George's fields ? 

14. How was Wilkes involved in a new contest with government? 

15. What was the decision of the house of commons respecting the Middlesex 

election ? 
16 Did this decision produce any unpleasant results ? 



GEORGE III. 365 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1770.) The health of the earl of Chatham had 
been long in such a state as to prevent him from exerting 
his energies for the benefit of his country ; he had the 
mortification to find that his influence was lost in the 
cabinet, and his popularity forgotten by the nation ; he 
therefore resigned his office, and his example was imitated 
by the duke of Grafton. Lord North succeeded the latter 
as first lord of the treasury, and some trifling changes 
were made in the inferior departments of government. 
2. Foreign nations seemed to have lost all respect for a 
country whose councils were subject to such sudden vicis- 
situdes, and the subjects of the realm were no longer 
willing to pay that respect to the laws which is necessary 
to the well-being of a state. The new ministry seemed ill 
calculated to retrieve the honour of the country ; they per- 
mitted France to acquire the island of Corsica without ven- 
turing to interfere, and tamely submitted to an insult offered 
by Spain to the British flag in the affair of the Falkland 
islands. The spirit of the nation however forced the 
ministry to make some exertions in the latter instance, and 
the matter was finally adjusted by a convention. 

3. (A.D. 1771.) The debates in parliament had been 
hitherto printed surreptitiously, as their publication was 
deemed a breach of privilege. The interest felt by the 
public in the debates on the Middlesex election induced 
the printers to act more daringly than before, and at length 
a formal complaint was made in the house, and a messenger 
was sent into the city to arrest the most notorious of the 
offenders. One printer having been seized by the mes- 
senger, sent for a constable, who carried both before the 
lord mayor Mr. Crosby. That gentleman, with the alder- 
men Wilkes and Oliver, not only discharged the printer, 
but threatened to send the messenger to prison unless he 
found bail to answer for his appearance on a charge of 
illegal arrest. The house of commons received the news 
of these proceedings with the most violent indignation; the 
lord mayor and Oliver were sent to the Tower, and Wilkes 
was summoned to appear at the bar of the house. But an 
unexpected difficulty was soon raised ; Wilkes refused to 
appear unless permitted to take his place for Middlesex, 
2 h 2 



366 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

and the house at length compromised its dignity, by ordering 
him to attend on the 8th of April, and then adjourning to the 
9th. Since this event no attempt has been made to check 
the publication of the parliamentary debates, which now 
constitute the most important, as well as the most interesting, 
feature in the periodical press. 

4. (A. D. 1772.) The marriage of the king's brothers, 
the dukes of Cumberland and Gloucester, with subjects of 
the realm, led to the enactment of the royal marriage act, 
which prohibited any of the descendants of George II. 
from marrying before the age of twenty-five without the 
consent of the king in council. An act was also passed to 
abrogate the law by which felons, who refused to plead, 
were pressed to death ; it was enacted that, for the future, 
those who did not plead should be held guilty of the crimes 
laid to their charge. 

5. The continent of Europe was the scene of an atrocious 
act of injustice committed by three crowned heads ; the first 
dismemberment of Poland was effected by an iniquitous 
confederacy between the emperor of Germany, the empress 
of Russia, and the king of Prussia ; they left the unfor- 
tunate monarch of the country little more than a nominal 
sovereignty, and even of this he was subsequently deprived 
by the royal robbers, and the name of Poland blotted from 
the list of nations. 6. About the same time the king of 
Sweden, in violation of the most solemn obligations, abro- 
gated the free constitution of his country, and made himself 
despotic. 7. In Denmark, on the other hand, the royal 
power was overthrown by a vile faction, who deprived the 
king of his authority, murdered his ministers, and drove his 
queen, Matilda, sister to the king of England, into exile, 
where grief soon terminated her sufferings. 

8. The planters in the island of St. Vincent had grossly 
ill-treated the Caribbs, or native inhabitants, who had been 
allowed to possess their lands in quiet while the colony 
remained under the dominion of the French. A civil war 
ensued, and the planters, notwithstanding all their advan- 
tages, were worsted ; application for assistance against the 
rebellious savages, as they thought fit to designate men 
who refused to submit tamely to open robbery, was made 
to the British parliament ; but the opposition was so strong, 
that the advocates of the planters were forced to yield, and 
peace was subsequently restored on equitable conditions. 

9. (A. D. 1773.) Ireland and Scotland were, about this 



GEORGE III. 367 

time, drained of a large portion of their peasantry, driven to 
emigration by the cruel rapacity of the landlords ; the exiles 
sought an asylum in America, and supplied that country, 
at the moment it was about to commence its great struggle 
for independence, with a hardy population, animated by the 
most bitter feelings of resentment against the country which 
they had been forced to abandon. 

10. The voyages of discovery undertaken during the 
early part of this reign were very creditable to the adminis- 
tration by which they were sent out. Captain Phipps 
made an ineffectual effort to discover a north-west passage 
to the East Indies; Byron, Wallis, Carteret, and Cook suc- 
cessively navigated the globe, and discovered several new 
islands in the Pacific Ocean. The last named navigator was 
killed during his third voyage at Owhyhee, in an unfortu- 
nate dispute with the natives. 

11. The determination of the Americans to use no 
articles on which a duty was levied by the British parlia- 
ment was still obstinately maintained, and the presence of 
the British troops in Boston kept alive those feelings of ani- 
mosity which more conciliatory conduct might have extin- 
guished. In resisting a violent act of aggression, a party 
of the military were compelled to fire on the populace, of 
whom three were killed and five dangerously wounded. 
The townsmen assembled on the following night, and were 
with much difficulty prevented from proceeding to extremi- 
ties ; but on the day that the unfortunate victims were in- 
terred, most of the shops in Boston were closed, the bells of 
all the churches in the town and neighbourhood rung 
muffled peals ; and the funerals were escorted by all the 
citizens, of every rank, in mournful procession. Captain 
Preston, who had commanded the party, was tried for mur- 
der, and it is highly creditable to the American character, 
that his defence was intrusted to Adams and Quincy, the 
most violent advocates of freedom ; and that a jury com- 
posed of townsmen acquitted the prisoner without hesitation. 

12. These proceedings were naturally considered by the 
provincial governors as strong evidences of a rebellious 
spirit, and in themselves almost acts of treason ; they con- 
sequently, in their public and private letters, described them 
in no measured terms. Mr. Hutchinson, the governor of 
Massachusetts, and his lieutenant, Mr. Oliver, had written 
several letters, in which they severely condemned the 
American leaders, called for the adoption of the most vigor- 



368 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

ous measures, and even recommended the " taking off" of 
the most active opponents of government. Of these letters 
Dr. Franklin obtained possession, and he immediately laid 
them before the provincial assembly of Massachusetts. 
The perusal of these documents excited violent indignation ; 
it was unanimously resolved, " that the tendency of the 
said letters was to overthrow the constitution of this govern- 
ment, and to introduce arbitrary power into the province ; 
and it was further voted, " that a petition should be imme- 
diately sent to the king, to remove Hutchinson and Oliver 
for ever from the government of the province." The peti- 
tion was immediately transmitted, and Franklin came over 
to England to support it in person before the privy council. 

13. (A.D. 1774.) On the day appointed for hearing the 
petition, Mr. Wedderburne, the solicitor-general, appeared 
on behalf of the governor, and assailed Franklin for the 
treachery of publishing a private correspondence, in one of 
the most elaborate invectives ever uttered. Less fervid elo- 
quence would have been sufficient to sway the determination 
of the council ; the petition was declared to be scandalous 
and vexatious, and Franklin was dismissed from the office 
which he held of postmaster-general of the colonies. 

14. The refusal of the Americans to purchase tea had 
led to a vast accumulation of that article in the storehouses 
of the East India company ; in order to afford them some 
relief, a drawback of the import duty was allowed them on 
all tea that should be exported ; and the ministry believed 
that the colonists would gladly pay the small tax of three 
pence per pound on an article which they could only pro- 
cure by smuggling, and at an enormous expense. But those 
who had formed such expectations had sadly miscalculated 
the spirit and firmness of the Americans ; resolutions were 
adopted in the several provinces, declaring that all who aided 
or abetted in the landing or vending of the expected tea, 
should be deemed enemies of their country ; and the majo- 
rity of the consignees, terrified at these proceedings, sent 
back the cargoes. In Boston, the agents of the company 
were dependants on the governor, and trusting to the pro- 
tection of the military, resolved to persevere : but during the 
night the leading patriots, disguised as Indians, boarded the 
vessels, and emptied the tea-chests into the water. 

15. The news of this proceeding was received by the 
British ministry with unmixed pleasure ; they thought that 
Boston, the great focus of American sedition, having been 



GEORGE III. 3G9 

guilty of a flagrant delinquency, was now completely at their 
mercy, and they prepared to visit it with exemplary punish- 
ment. A bill for shutting up the port of Boston, and another 
for annulling the charter of Massachusetts, were passed with 
little opposition ; and these harsh measures were soon fol- 
lowed by a third, of a still more dangerous tendency ; it 
enacted, that "if any person were indicted for murder or 
any capital offence, committed in the province of Massachu- 
setts, in aiding the magistracy, such person or persons might 
be sent by the governor to some other colony or to Great 
Britain for trial." It was in vain that colonel Barre, and 
some others, showed that this measure directly tended to 
sanction military outrage by the hope of impunity ; it passed 
through both houses with overwhelming majorities, and im- 
mediately received the royal assent. 

16. Nothing could exceed the burst of indignation with 
which the first intelligence of these harsh measures was re- 
ceived in the New England states. They sternly refused 
to obey laws which deprived them of their natural and 
chartered rights, and made active preparations to resist their 
enforcement. All the other colonies, except Georgia, zeal- 
ously adopted the cause of the people of Massachusetts, and 
agreed to discontinue their commerce with Great Britain until 
the obnoxious statutes should be repealed. To give greater 
effect to their remonstrances, an assembly of delegates from 
the different states was organized by Franklin and other 
provincial leaders, which, under the name of a congress, 
met in Philadelphia. The congress promised every assist- 
ance to the New Englanders, and prepared a spirited peti- 
tion to be laid before his majesty, soliciting a redress of 
grievances. They also published addresses to the British 
people, to the Canadians, and to the West Indian colonies, 
vindicating the purity of their motives, and declaring their 
fixed resolution not to submit to oppression. 



Questions for Examination, 

1. Were any changes made in the ministry? 

2. Did any remarkable events occur abroad ? 

3. By what train of events was the right of printing the parliamentary de- 

bates established ? 

4. What remarkable acts of parliament were passed ? 

5. Did any of the European powers combine to ruin Poland 

6. What revolution took place in Sweden ? 

7. Did any thing remarkable occur in Denmark 1 

8. What were the circumstances of the Caribb war? 

9 On what account did emigration to America increase? 



370 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

10. Were any remarkable voyages of discovery undertaken ? 

11. What military outrage created a great sensation in Boston ? 

12. How was the assembly of Massachusetts placed in open hostility to its 

governor? 

13. How was the Massachusetts remonstrance treated by the privy council? 

14. How did the Americans treat the tea exported from England ? 

15. What vindictive measures were sanctioned by the British parliament ? 

16. How did the Americans act in consequence ? 



SECTION IV. 

1. (A.D. 1775.) An opportunity of retracting their steps 
was afforded to the British ministers by the presentation of 
the petition from the congress at Philadelphia ; especially as 
a new parliament had been summoned in the room of that 
which had sanctioned the late severe measures of coercion. 
It was reported that his majesty had received the petition 
most graciously, and the public consequently indulged in 
expectations of a reconciliation between the colonies and the 
mother country. These hopes were destined to be disap- 
pointed; the houses of parliament, in their address to the 
king at the opening of the session, stated that " a rebellion 
actually existed in the province of Massachusetts," and in 
the usual style offered to assist in its suppression with their 
lives and fortunes. A few members, justly anxious to avert 
the hazards of war, laboured hard to change the determina- 
tions of the minister ; in particular Mr. Burke proposed a 
plan for conciliating America, in a speech of unrivalled elo- 
quence ; these efforts were vain, and nothing now remained 
but an appeal to the sword. Franklin also, having been 
long employed in a kind of treaty with the ministers, finding 
them determined to persevere in their insane resolutions, 
broke off the conference, and sailed for America, resolved to 
share the fortunes and hazards of his fellow-citizens. 

2. The New Englanders were determined to attack the 
royal forces as soon as ever they should march out of Bos- 
ton, and their adherence to this resolution was soon put to 
the test. On the night of the eighteenth of April, a detach- 
ment was sent from Boston to seize some military stores, 
which the insurgents had collected at Concord. In spite of 
every precaution, the country was alarmed, and when the 
advanced guard arrived early on the following morning at 
Lexington, they found a small body of provincials prepared 



GEORGE III. 371 

to oppose them. A brief skirmish ensued, in which the 
Americans were defeated with some loss, and the detach- 
ment, proceeding to Concord, destroyed all the stores that 
they found. But they were not permitted to return unmo- 
lested ; the militia, assembling in force, furiously assailed 
their flanks and rear ; a constant fire of rifles was maintained 
from every hedge and every wall which skirted the road, 
and had not a regiment under the command of lord Percy 
been sent from Boston to cover their retreat, the entire de- 
tachment would have been destroyed. It was late in the 
evening when the British forces arrived at last within the 
lines of their own fortifications, having lost 65 killed, 180 
wounded, and 28 prisoners. 

3. Blood having been thus drawn, the whole of the dis- 
contented colonies boldly prepared to maintain the inevita- 
ble contest. Volunteers enrolled themselves in every pro- 
vince, and the king's stores were everywhere seized and 
appropriated to the use of the insurgents. The fortress of 
Ticonderoga and Crown Point were surprised by a body of 
militia, and the Americans thus obtained possession of 100 
pieces of cannon and a proportionate quantity of ammunition. 
The towns and villages in the neighbourhood of Boston were 
garrisoned, and that city thus placed under a strict 
blockade. 

4. General Gage, who commanded the garrison, soon re- 
ceived reinforcements from Great Britain, under the com- 
mand of generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton. He resolved 
therefore to commence active operations ; but before com- 
mitting himself to the chances of war, he issued a procla- 
mation, offering pardon to all who should lay down their 
arms, except Messrs. Hancock and Adams. The Americans 
treated the proclamation with contempt, and soon after 
elected Mr. Hancock president of congress. 

5. In Charlestown, a place situated to the north of Boston, 
is an eminence called Bunker's hill, which in some degree 
commands the harbour ; this post the Americans resolved to 
occupy; and a party was sent over from Cambridge to in- 
trench themselves on the height. This they effected with 
such rapidity and silence during one of the short nights of 
June, that the appearance of their works at daybreak was 
the first notice of their presence. The importance of dis- 
lodging the enemy was evident to the British generals, and 
a detachment under the command of Howe was sent to the 
peninsula in boats. A tremendous cannonade was opened 



\unjr batteries 

within 
sixty yards so and 

- ■ 
> ivjio. V - 

• Howe rai 
ammunition of 
suable resistance they were com; :. In this 

s « 
and an >tiil moro 

wsand killed ami 

of officers that ah the 

s took with 

bility sses tin 

s 

! 

S ■ « ■ '. - 

'.' s 

or.;- .-:" '.:•.:■ ;':•.;•:" ■/rorr.evrs ::i •.'/.. province. Bui public 

ti on v 

nins: their I \ 

with a 
unanimity 
oc:v.:v .-.-.-.. : .:- :-::>/ :v.; - :" o:" /.'. :':.:.: forves : and sen! two bodies 
of militia rades gene 

. > 
Montgomery wis killed in an attempt to storm Quebe 

s A i&e 
ated the Canadians, that no hope remaine. uniliaaj 

with 

« 1 by Wash- 

ington* and the gar: reatest 

distress Hliwi In thfi command. 

though a gener vial to 

acuities of his situation. T .habitants e 
1 as the ii ilnsatstajo ..unine 



0SOHOI in. 'tf\\ 

during the winter? md early in the spring the Am' 
opened batteries on the neighbouring hills, which nrept the 
town and harbour. Un< circumstances, tiu 

rscuated by the English, and Washington, entering it, 
wa« hailed by the citizens as their deliverer, 0. An 
dition undertaken by the Bi I on, in 

Sooth Carolina, signally failed. The general fClintoi 
unable to second me naval operations directed by ■ ir Peter 
Parker ; and, after ■■■■ a of bravery, me ad- 

miral was forced to retire irith the loee of a fl 
which he burned, to prevent ita falling into the bandi of the 
enemy. 

10. The Americana, and the greater part of their Je- 
had hitherto entertained hopes of peacefully accommodating 
their dfsputee with England ; but the intelligence that the 
Briti h minister had hired a body of German mercenariei 
for their subjugation wrought 10 powerfully on their excited 
feelinge, that they determined to renounce their allegiance. 
(July 4th, 1770.; On the motion of Richard Henry Lee, 
member for Virginia, the i d their declara- 
tion of independence, and elected the colonies into fr< 

At the very time that this resolutie 

adopted, a British fl ring round their eo 

B ringto invade their territory 

symptoma of di 

tible in their own soldiery. Still the eon; 

r, and prepared to support with spirit the 
enee which they had so com rted. 

11. Genera] Howe did not long remain idle at Halifax, 
whither lie had retired after the evacuation of Boston ; he 
sailed for N • and being there joined by bis br< 
lord Howe, with a considerable fl" I mas- 
ter of that city and Long Island. Following up hi 
nmphs, elled the provincial army from the Jei 

and compelled them to take refuge beyond the Delaware. 
This rapid succi ed the hopes of the British 

highest pitch ; the immediate conquest of America was 
looked upon as absolutely certain, and little seemed wanting 
to complete so desirable a consummation. 12. But they 
soon found that Washington, though defeated, was not sub- 
dued, and that his knowledge of the country in a 
lated for his inferiority of number-. ( 
ing the Delaware in the middle of December, he attaeked a 
body of Hessians at Trenton, and made 900 prisoners : and 

2 I 



374 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

then while lord Comwallis was advancing to recover Tren- 
ton, the indefatigable Americans suddenly appeared in his 
lordship's rear, and destroyed or captured the greater part 
of a detachment under colonel Mawhood. 

13. A. very extraordinary incident took place, about this 
time, in the East Indies. The council of Madras had plunged 
the company into an unjustifiable war with the rajah of 
Tanjore, whom they attacked and took prisoner. Lord 
Pigot was sent out as governor, with positive orders to re- 
store the rajah, but he had scarcely effected this object, 
when he was seized and thrown into prison by certain 
members of the council. This indignity worked so bitterly 
on his feelings that he sickened and died, leaving behind 
him a higher character for honour and integrity than most 
of those who have made fortunes in the East. His perse- 
cutors were subsequently brought to trial and punished, but 
not with severity proportioned to their deserts. 

14. (A.D. 1777.) The caution of Washington prevented 
any decisive engagement in the early part of the new cam- 
paign ; but the march of Howe towards Philadelphia induced 
the American general to hazard a battle. The armies met 
near the Brandy wine river, and after a long and fierce battle 
the English obtained a decisive victory. Philadelphia was 
immediately surrendered, and occupied by the English 
forces : a second attempt made by "Washington to retrieve 
his losses was defeated ; and by the aid of the fleet, Howe 
reduced the fortifications which the Americans had con- 
structed on the banks of the Delaware, and opened free 
communication with his supplies. 

15. But the successes of the English in the southern states 
were more than counterbalanced by the disaster they expe- 
rienced in the northern. Early in the year, general Bur- 
goyne, with an army of 7000 men, and a large body of 
Indians, received orders to advance from Canada into the 
state of New York, and co-operate with a body of troops 
which Howe was to send to his assistance. This plan, if 
successful, would cut off the New England states from the 
rest of the union, and expose them to be overrun and con- 
quered in detail. Burgoyne's part in this expedition was 
executed with equal skill and intrepidity ; he marched 
boldly through the country, bearing down all opposition. 
But the Americans soon assembled an army in his front, and 
as he had advanced to a distance from his supplies, his 
situation soon became very hazardous. The operations of the 



GEORGE III. 375 

army, whose assistance he expected, were miserably con- 
ducted ; sir Henry Clinton did not leave New York till 
October, and even then, instead of hastening forward to his 
destination, he employed his troops in burning the unre- 
sisting towns and villages, and devastating the country. 
Whether this tardiness is to be ascribed to the weakness of 
the general, or to the insufficiency of the orders sent out by 
the ministry, is not easily ascertained, but from whatever 
cause, it proved the ruin of the entire expedition. On the 
15th of October, general Vaughan, with the van of Clinton's 
army, could have rescued Burgoyne from all his difficulties, 
but Vaughan stopped to plunder and burn the little town of 
iEsopus, and before he was again prepared to advance, 
Burgoyne and his army were prisoners of war to the Ameri- 
can army under the command of general Gates. 

16. Burgoyne, depending on the advance of the army 
from New York, had allowed himself to be cooped up in 
Saratoga ; his provisions were exhausted, his ammunition 
beginning to fail, his troops dispirited, and his lines inca- 
pable of long defence. He therefore surrendered on the 
condition that his troops, after having laid down their arms, 
should be sent home, provided that they should not serve 
again in America during the present contest. Burgoyne 
returned to England on his parole only to experience greater 
mortifications ; the leaders of administration threw all the 
blame of a failure, attributable solely to themselves, on the 
unfortunate general ; he was refused admittance into the 
presence of the sovereign, denied the justice of a court- 
martial, and subjected to a series of petty persecutions 
infinitely more disgraceful to the ministry than to their 
victim. 17. General Gates, after his victory, advanced to 
check the outrages committed by Clinton's soldiers ; sir 
Henry retreated to New York before the victorious army, 
and the American general was consequently enabled to send 
such a reinforcement to Washington's army, as made it 
once more a match for that of Howe, and sufficient to 
protect the province of Pennsylvania from the ravages of 
the enemy. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. How were the hopes of the friends of peace disappointed ? 

2. What were the circumstances of the affair at Lexington ? 

3. Did the Americans begin the war vigorously ? 

4. How was the proclamation of general Gage treated ? 

5. What were the circumstances of the battle of Bunker's hill ? 



376 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

6. Were any efforts made to restore peace ? 

7. How did the invasion of Canada terminate ? 

8. Why was Boston evacuated by the British ? 

9. Did the expedition against Charleston succeed ? 

10. Under what circumstances did the Americans publish the declaration of 

independence ? 

11. What successes did general Howe obtain ? 

12. Was Washington dispirited by his losses? 

13. Did any remarkable circumstance occur in the East Indies ? 

14. Where was Washington defeated ? 

15. What led to the surrender of Burgoyne's army ? 

16. How was Burgoyne treated ? 

17. How did Gates use his victory ? 



SECTION V. 

1. (A.D. 1778.) The event of which ministers had been 
vainly warned from the commencement of the unfortunate 
contest into which they had rashly precipitated the country, 
at length took place. France acknowledged the independence 
of the United States, and entered into a close alliance with 
the revolted colonies. Before the news of this treaty could 
reach America, lord North introduced two conciliatory bills 
into the British parliament, granting the provincials every 
thing that they had demanded before their declaration of 
independence. In the debates that ensued, the minister 
found some of his former supporters more virulent antago- 
nists than the opposition — they taunted him for deserting 
the high principles of prerogative and British supremacy 
which he had hitherto maintained, and complained bitterly 
of the deception by which he had gained their support. The 
bills, however, passed the lower house, but their progress 
through the upper was marked by an incident that must not 
be carelessly passed over. It was known that the duke of 
Richmond was of opinion that peace should be purchased 
even by acknowledging the independence of America, and 
that he intended to propound these sentiments during the 
discussion. 2. The venerable earl of Chatham, sinking 
under the weight of years and bodily infirmities, attended 
in his place for the purpose of protesting against the dis- 
memberment of an empire to whose greatness he had so 
largely contributed, and deprecated such a proceeding with 
great warmth and eloquence. The duke of Richmond hav- 
ing answered this speech, the earl rose to reply, but the 
powers of nature were exhausted, he fell on the floor of the 



GEORGE III. 377 

house in the attempt to utter his sentiments, and being 
removed to his favourite country-seat, expired in a short 
time after. 3. The parliament paid merited honour to the 
memory of the most successful and able minister that Eng- 
land had hitherto produced ; the sum of twenty thousand 
pounds was granted for the payment of his debts, a pension 
of four thousand pounds settled on his heirs ; his remains 
were interred with great pomp in Westminster Abbey, and 
a monument erected to his memory at the public expense. 

4. Commissioners had been sent out to propose measures 
of reconciliation to the Americans when it was too late ; of 
course, their mission signally failed ; the congress would 
not even listen to terms unless the recognition of their inde- 
pendence formed a preliminary article, and the commis- 
sioners, having made an unsuccessful attempt to bribe some 
of the American deputies, were dismissed with mingled 
contempt and indignation. 

5. The first hostile collision between France and England 
took place at sea ; admiral Keppel attacked a French squad- 
ron' under the command of D'Orvilliers, but, being badly 
supported by sir Hugh Palliser, the second in command, 
obtained no decisive success. Advantage was taken of this 
circumstance by the ministry to crush Keppel, who had 
been long their political opponent, and at their instigation 
Palliser, preferred a charge of misconduct against his com- 
mander. But the verdict of the court-martial disappointed 
their expectations ; Keppel was honourably acquitted, and 
Palliser being subsequently brought to trial for disobedience 
to orders, was partially condemned, and but for the interpo- 
sition of the entire power of the ministry, would have been 
subjected to a more ignominious verdict.* 

6. (A.D. 1779.) The Americans, having now obtained so 
powerful an ally as France, fondly hoped that the war would 
be terminated in a single campaign. Great, therefore, was 

* This year a bold adventurer, of the name of Paul Jones, kept all the west- 
ern coast of the island in alarm. He landed at Whitehaven, where he burned 
a ship in the harbour, and even attempted to burn the town. He afterwards 
landed in Scotland, and plundered the house of the earl of Selkirk. He some 
time after fought a bloody battle with captain Pearson, of the Serapis, whom 
he compelled to submit: and so shattered was his own ship in the engage- 
ment, that he had no sooner quitted her, in order to take possession of his 
prize, than she went to the bottom. Captain Farmer, too, of the Quebec, 
fought a no less desperate battle with a French ship of greatly superior force. 
He continued the engagement, with unremitted fury, till his own ship acci 
dentally took fire, and was blown into the air, together with himself anu 
most of the crew. 

2i2 



378 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

their mortification to find the English superior during the 
entire year. Clinton maintained his defensive position in 
New York, and baffled all the attempts of Washington to 
force an engagement ; while in the southern states, Georgia 
was subdued by colonel Campbell, aided by admiral Parker, 
and the attempts made to recover it by the American general, 
Lincoln, and the French admiral, D'Estaing, were signally 
defeated. 

7. But the honour of England was not similarly main- 
tained in other quarters ; several islands of the West Indies 
w§re captured by the French ; and the united fleets of France 
and Spain, for the latter country was now united to the ene- 
mies of Britain, swept the channel, and insulted the coasts 
with impunity. Lord Sandwich, the first lord of the admi- 
ralty, was a man notoriously unfit for his situation ; but his 
colleagues, with the blind obstinacy which characterized all 
their measures, determined to retain him in office ; even 
though they were aware, that by his neglect, Plymouth was 
left in such a defenceless state, that its dockyards and arsenal 
were only saved from destruction by the ignorance of the 
admirals of the combined fleet. 

8. In Ireland an important revolution commenced, which 
though it terminated bloodlessly, threatened at one period 
to have caused a separation between the two countries. 
The greater part of the army necessary for the defence of 
that country had been withdrawn to assist in the subjugation 
of America ; and when the French and Spanish fleets 
menaced the island with invasion, there were no preparations 
made for its defence. The people, left to themselves, showed 
spirit worthy of the crisis; companies of volunteers were 
embodied in every town and district ; arms were at first 
cheerfully supplied by the government ; officers were chosen 
by election ; and the patriotic earl of Charlemont appointed 
commander-in-chief of the independent companies. When 
England recovered her wonted superiority by sea, the fear 
of invasion was removed, but the volunteers retained their 
arms and preserved their organization. They had learned 
the secret of their strength, and were determined to effect the 
regeneration of their country, by establishing the indepen- 
dence of her parliament and the freedom of her commerce 
This was a new and unexpected difficulty to the ministry ; 
but, pursuing consistently their steady course of narrow and 
illiberal policy, they refused to make any concession, and 
thus brought Ireland to the very brink of a revolution. 



GEORGE III. 379 

9. (1780.) Holland was soon added to the enemies of 
England ; Mr. Laurens, who had been president of con- 
gress, was taken by a British cruiser, and the papers found 
in his possession fully proved the existence of a treaty be- 
tween the Dutch and the Americans. War was therefore 
declared, and thus was England engaged with a fourth 
enemy without a single ally. About the same time the 
northern powers of Europe joined in a confederation called 
the armed neutrality, which was aimed against the mari- 
time claims of England. Its avowed design was to pro- 
tect the trade of neutral vessels with the several belligerent 
powers. 

10. But the spirit of the English nation sunk not in this 
apparently unequal contest. Admiral Rodney captured 
a Spanish convoy, defeated the enemy's fleet, though forced 
to engage under very disadvantageous circumstances, and 
relieved Gibraltar, which the Spaniards had begun to be- 
siege ; sailing thence to the West Indies, he dispersed a 
French fleet far superior to his own. In America, South 
Carolina was subdued by sir Henry Clinton ; and the 
American general Arnold, believing the independent cause 
almost hopeless, abandoned his country's cause, and entered 
into the royal service. The acquisition of this worthless 
deserter cost the life of one of Britain's best and bravest 
officers. Major Andre, adjutant-general of the royal 
army, having been sent to conduct the negotiation with 
Arnold, was seized within the American lines, and hanged 
as a spy, by a rigid interpretation of the laws of war. 

11. The ministry had hitherto found the parliament well 
disposed to support their measures ; but the number of pe- 
titions presented from the counties and leading towns against 
the administration, soon raised up a formidable opposition. 
(April 6th.) At length Mr. Dunning moved his celebrated 
resolution, " that the influence of the crown has increased, 
is increasing, and ought to be diminished," which was car- 
ried by a majority of twenty-eight votes ; but a second re- 
solution, designed to give effect to the former, was rejected 
by a majority of fifty-one, and the ministry soon after re- 
covered their wonted superiority. 

12. Some of the penal laws against the Roman catholics 
were wisely repealed by the parliament, but in consequence 
of the exertions of some misguided bigots, these measures 
were followed by the most formidable riots that ever dis- 



380 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

graced the metropolis. June 2. An immense multitude 
assembled in St. George's-fields, to petition for a repeal of 
the laws that had been passed in favour of the Roman 
catholics, and after adopting several resolutions, proceeded 
in large parties to the avenues leading to the house of com- 
mons, where they insulted several of the members. Lord 
George Gordon, a visionary enthusiast, came out and made 
a violent harangue to the multitude, informing them that 
their petition had been rejected. The irritated mob at once 
proceeded to acts of violence ; they destroyed all the Romish 
chapels in and about town ; they' burned the prisons of 
Newgate, the king's bench, and the fleet, together with 
several private houses ; they even threatened the bank, 
which was preserved with difficulty. At length the military 
were called out, and the rioters dispersed, though not until 
two hundred and twenty of their number had been killed or 
mortally wounded. 

13. (1781.) The campaign which decided the question 
of American independence seemed at its commencement 
to promise a far different termination : Washington's army 
was so distressed that 1500 troops deserted his lines ; but 
though they had thus shown their resentment, they refused 
to listen to any offers from the British generals, and the 
emissaries sent to seduce them were given up and hanged. 
Congress, however, exerted itself so successfully, that the 
distresses of the army were finally relieved, and Washing- 
ton enabled to commence decisive operations. He at first 
designed to besiege New York, but being baffled by the 
superior forces of sir Henry Clinton, he suddenly resolved 
to march into the southern states, and overpower lord 
Cornwallis before Clinton's army could move to his as- 
sistance. 14. This decisive operation was crowned with 
complete success ; lord Cornwallis was attacked in York- 
town, by the combined armies of France and America ; his 
lordship made a gallant defence, but two redoubts in his 
front were carried by storm — his works ruined — his lines 
swept by the fire of the enemy's batteries, and the effective 
strength of his garrison diminished by sickness. Under 
these circumstances, nothing remained but to propose 
terms of capitulation. He accordingly surrendered to 
general Lincoln with the same formalities that he had pre- 
scribed to that officer eighteen months before at Charleston ; 
and it is remarkable, as a second coincidence, that the 



GEORGE III. 381 

articles were drawn up by lieutenant-co.onel Laurens, whose 
father was still detained as a close prisoner in the Tower of 
London. 

15. These losses were in some degree compensated by 
the success of our arms in the East Indies, where sir Eyre 
Coote defeated Hyder Ally, and restored the company's 
ascendency. In the West Indies, the island of St. Eustatius 
was taken from the Dutch, but subsequently recaptured by 
the French. A desperate engagement also took place off 
the Dogger Bank between an English squadron commanded 
by admiral Parker, and a Dutch squadron under admiral 
Zoutman ; after a fierce battle which lasted three hours, the 
victory remained undecided, and both returned to their re- 
spective harbours. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What measure did the British ministry propose? 

2. Is there any thing remarkable in the circumstances of lord Chatham's 

death ? 

3. What honours were paid to his memory ? 

4. How were lord North's commissioners treated by the Americans 1 

5. In what disgraceful manner was admiral Keppel treated ? 

6. Did the results of the campaign answer the expectations of the Ame- 

ricans ? 

7. How was the English navy neglected ? 

8. What important events took place in Ireland ? 

9. By what new enemies was England assailed ? 

10. Did the British obtain any triumphs ? 

11. What remarkable resolution was carried in parliament ? 

12. Did any formidable riots occur in London ? 

12. How was Washington baffled in the beginning of the last campaign? 

14. What great triumph did the Americans obtain ? 

15. Did the English obtain any successes ? 



SECTION VI. 

1. (A.D. 1782.) The American war was now virtually 
at an end ; all rational hopes of reducing the country again 
under the subjection of Great Britain were abandoned by 
the great majority of the nation; but the ministry at least 
manifested the virtue of perseverance, and declared their 
resolution to carry on " a war of posts." The nation at 
large was opposed to this insane project; and parliament, 
yielding to the voice of the people, gradually withdrew its 
support from the administration. At length, on the motion 
of general Conway, the house of commons voted " that 



382 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

whoever advised his majesty to the continuation of the 
American war, should be considered as a public enemy." 
This, of course, led to the resignation of lord North, and 
a new ministry was formed under the auspices of Mr. Fox 
and the marquis of Rockingham. 

2. Negotiations for peace were immediately commenced, 
nor were any of the belligerent powers disinclined to an 
accommodation. The United States, having secured their 
independence, had nothing to gain by a continuance of the 
war ; the navy of France, after being severely crippled 
during the contest, was at its close almost annihilated by 
a victory which admiral Rodney gained over count de 
Grasse, in the West Indies, on the 12th of April; and the 
Spaniards, after having besieged Gibraltar, and wasted 
before its walls an incredible quantity of blood and trea- 
sure, had the mortification to find all their efforts fail, their 
grand attack signally defeated, and the floating batteries, 
which they had deemed irresistible, burned to the water's 
edge, by a tremendous storm of hot balls and shells poured 
on them by the gallant garrison. 

3. Wilkes took advantage of the altered spirit of the 
times, and procured the removal of all the resolutions con- 
cerning the Middlesex election from the journals of the house 
of commons ; after which this celebrated demagogue sunk 
into complete insignificance. In Ireland, the parliament, 
roused by the fervid eloquence of Mr. Grattan, obtained 
from the new ministry the concession of their legislative in- 
dependence. Immediately after which, the Irish house of 
commons voted a sum of .£50,000 to purchase an estate for 
Mr. Grattan, as a reward for the services which he had ren- 
dered his country. 

4. But while the new administration was exerting itself 
for the reformation of abuses at home and the establishment 
of peace abroad, it was suddenly dissolved by the death of 
the marquis of Rockingham. The earl of Shelburne was 
appointed premier, which so displeased Mr. Fox and his 
friends that they immediately resigned. The noble lord did 
not long retain his place ; Mr. Fox, to the utter astonish- 
ment of the entire nation, entered into a coalition with lord 
North, whom he had so long and so bitterly opposed. Their 
united parliamentary influence was irresistible : and they 
forced themselves into the royal councils, in spite of the se- 
cret dislike of the king and the open disgust of the nation, 

5. (A.D. 1783.) The success of the coalition was of short 






GEORGE III. 383 

duration ; immediately after concluding the peace with 
France and America, Mr. Fox introduced a bill for regu- 
lating the government of India, which his influence carried 
through the house of commons, notwithstanding the most 
vigorous efforts of the company and its servants. But in 
the lords the opposition was more effectual, the king him- 
self avowed his hostility to the measure, and it was finally 
rejected by a considerable majority. The ministry appear- 
ing unwilling to resign, were summarily dismissed, and a 
new administration formed, of which Mr. William Pitt, the 
second son of the earl of Chatham, was the most conspi- 
cuous member. 

6. (A. D. 1784.) Parliament at its meeting exhibited the 
unusual spectacle of ministers in a complete minority ; to 
carry on the public business under such circumstances was, 
of course, impossible, and no sooner were the supplies voted 
than the parliament was dissolved. The coalition had given 
such general offence to the nation, that the new ministry ob- 
tained a decisive majority in the new house of commons. 
Mr. Pitt's India bill, which was less violent, but also less 
effective than that of Mr. Fox, was passed triumphantly ; 
and an act for restoring the Scotch estates forfeited in 1745, 
went through both houses without opposition, and received 
the royal assent. 

7. (A. D. 1785.) Mr. Pitt, pursuant to the promises he 
had so often made, brought forward his motion for a reform 
in parliament ; his plans were very judicious and well ar- 
ranged, but they were rejected by a considerable majority, 
not, as was generally suspected, without his tacit consent. 
8. (1786.) The south-western coast of New Holland afford- 
ing several favourable spots for colonization, it was resolved 
to transport convicts thither, and give them an opportunity 
of retrieving their characters and reforming their manners in 
another hemisphere. About the same time a maniac, named 
Margaret Nicholson, made an attempt to assassinate the 
king, as he was alighting from his carriage ; she was imme- 
diately seized, and her insanity being fully proved, she was 
sent to Bethlehem hospital, where she remained safely 
guarded, but unmolested. 

9. (1787.) Mr. Sheridan, aided by Mr. Burke, Mr. Fox, 
and several others, brought forward a motion for the im- 
peachment of Warren Hastings, late governor-general of 
India, for high crimes and misdemeanours in the execution 
of his oifice, which passed with but little opposition. The 



384 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

consequent trial before the house of lords lingered out during 
the seven succeeding years, and ended in the acquittal of the 
accused. 

10. A strong party in Holland, secretly supported by the 
French court, violently opposed their stadtholder, the prince 
of Orange, and disregarded the remonstrances made by 
England in his favour. This dispute would probably have 
rekindled a general war, had not the king of Prussia, en- 
raged at an insult offered to his sister, sent a large army into 
Holland, which soon restored the authority of the stadt- 
holder, and crushed the power of his opponents. 

11. (1788.) While the nation was enjoying profound re- 
pose, and silently repairing the losses incurred in the Ame- 
rican war, the country was suddenly astounded by the news 
that his majesty had been attacked by a severe illness, which 
incapacitated him for discharging the duties of government. 
Mr. Fox insisted that the regency of right belonged to the 
prince of Wales ; Mr. Pitt as vehemently asserted, that par- 
liament alone could provide for such an emergency. (1789.) 
After some very warm debates, it was finally resolved that 
the prince of Wales should be declared regent, subject how- 
ever to certain restrictions, and that the custody of the king's 
person should be intrusted to the queen, assisted by a coun- 
cil. The parliament of Ireland came to a very different de- 
cision ; they decreed the regency of their country to the 
prince of Wales, without any restriction whatever. This 
difference between the two parliaments would probably have 
led to fatal consequences but for the unexpected recovery of 
the king. His majesty's restoration to health diffused uni- 
versal joy through the kingdom, and was celebrated by the 
most universal and splendid illuminations ever previously 
known. 

12. (1790.) A dispute took place between England and 
Spain about the possession of Nootka Sound, on the north- 
west coast of America, where the English had planted a 
small colony, which the Spaniards had seized, and made the 
settlers prisoners. An armament was prepared with asto- 
nishing rapidity, but at the expense of three millions sterling ; 
Spain however was unprepared for war, and all disputes 
were finally adjusted by an equitable convention. 

13. While the country was thus respected abroad, and 
enjoying profound peace at home, events were occurring in 
a neighbouring nation which soon involved England in a 
long, expensive, but not inglorious war ; and produced a de- 



GEORGE III. 385 

cisive change in the aspect of Europe, all whose effects are 
probably not even yet developed. 



Questions for Examination 

1. How was the American war finally terminated ? 

2. Why were all parties inclined to peace ? 

3. What circumstances showed the altered spirit of the times ? 

4. How was the ministry broken up ? 

5. Did the coalition ministry long continue? 

6. How was Mr. Pitt's power strengthened ? 

7. What important motion made by Mr. Pitt was defeated ? 

8. Was any attempt made on the king's life ? 

9. Is there any thing remarkable in the trial of Warren Hastings ? 

10. What disturbances took place in Holland ? 

11. To what disputes did his majesty's illness give rise ? 

12. What arrangements were made respecting Nootka Sound ? 

13. What was the state of the country at this time ? 



SECTION VII. 

1. No event of equal importance with the French revolu- 
tion is recorded in history, and there is no subject which 
has given rise to such diversity of opinion. Its causes, its 
consequences, even the simple facts that occurred in its pro- 
gress, are to this hour matters of keen and violent debate, 
nor can an impartial narrative be expected while many of the 
actors are still alive, and while the impulse then given con- 
tinues to be felt in every part of Europe. It is undeniable 
that the form of government established in France sadly re- 
quired amelioration ; the privileges of the nobles were tyran- 
nical and oppressive, and they were exercised with strict 
severity ; the conduct of the clergy was far from being in 
accordance with the principles of that holy religion which 
they professed ; the prodigality of the court was extreme ; 
the criminal laws unjustly constituted, and worse adminis- 
tered ; the government placed in the hands of nobles equally 
ignorant and indolent ; nor was there a single office, civil or 
military, open to the most superior merits, unless aided by 
the possession of high birth and titled name. These were 
evils poorly compensated by the private virtues of the hap- 
less sovereign, who came to the throne of France at the mo- 
ment when the accumulated evils of centuries had nearly 
reached their consummation. 2. While the higher classes 
were sunk in luxury and sloth, the lower ranks, in a state 
2K 



386 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

of ignorance and degradation, and goaded on by misery, 
were ready to second every movement, and to join in every 
excess. In the middle classes, the elements of strife were 
even more thickly sown ; they were irritated at the con- 
tempt shown them by their haughty superiors, they were in- 
dignant at seeing the doors of preferment closed against the 
exertions of honourable ambition, apd their minds were de- 
bauched by the perusal of the speculative treatises on " the 
rights of man," which, despite of every restriction, daily 
issued from the press, and which, with very few exceptions, 
advocated principles subversive of all religion, and conse- 
quently of all good government. 

3. The American war precipitated a revolution, which 
probably, could not have been much longer delayed. The 
French soldiers, while fighting in the cause of American 
freedom, naturally imbibed the principles of their allies, 
and diffused them over the country on their return home * 
the royal exchequer, which had been nearly exhausted by 
the profligate extravagance of the former reign, was totally 
ruined by an expensive war, and the country was on the 
very eve of a national bankruptcy. When a variety of ex- 
pedients, most of which made matters worse, had been tried 
in vain, the king determined to convoke the states-general, 
which had not been assembled since 1614, and they accord- 
ingly met at Versailles on the 5th of May, 1789. 

4. After some angry debates, it was determined that the. 
three orders of the clergy, the nobles, and the commons, 
should meet in one body, an arrangement which threw all 
the power into the hands of the popular party. They as- 
sumed the name of the national assembly, and immediately 
commenced a total change in the constitution of their coun- 
try. Feudal privileges and titles were abolished ; local di- 
visions set aside ; and the country distributed into depart^ 
ments instead of provinces, for the purpose of adopting an 
uniform system of taxation ; monastic institutions were 
suppressed, and the English system of trial by jury sub- 
stituted for the administration of justice by the old provincial 
parliaments. 

5. Such an extensive alteration naturally disgusted the 
court and the nobility ; unable to conceal their hostility to 
the new measures, they exposed themselves to popular in- 
dignation, and dreading the consequences, the Count d'Artois, 
(afterwards Charles X.) the prince of Conde, and several 
others, emigrated. But this flight aggravated the jealousy 



GEORGE III. 387 

of the people ; the Parisian mob stormed the fortress of the 
Bastile, the state prison of France, and levelled it with the 
ground ; they next formed a national guard, composed en- 
tirely of citizens, at the head of which was placed M. de 
la Fayette ; and at length a furious mob advanced to Ver- 
sailles, and brought the king and royal family in triumph 
to the capital. 

6. (1791.) The progress of the revolution in France was 
anxiously watched by two powerful parties in England, who 
viewed it with very different feelings. While one party 
looked upon it as the triumph of liberty, the administration 
and a large portion of the aristocracy regarded it as the 
triumph of anarchy over all legitimate authority. Nor 
were such feelings confined to the higher classes, the popu- 
lace shared largely in the hatred to the new politics of 
France ; a dinner to celebrate the capture of the Bastile was 
adjourned in London through dread of popular resentment; 
but in Birmingham a festive meeting to commemorate the 
same event was dispersed by a furious mob, which sub- 
sequently proceeded to destroy the dissenting chapels, and 
the houses of all who were supposed favourable to the 
French revolution. 

7. (1792.) The principal powers on the continent having 
entered into a treaty, to check the progress of the French 
revolution, it was obvious that war could not long be de- 
layed; but the interference of the monarchs precipitated the 
events which they wished to prevent. The duke of Bruns- 
wick, as commander-in-chief of the allied armies, issued an 
ill-judged and sanguinary manifesto, which, with some sus- 
picious circumstances in the conduct of the king and queen, 
so exasperated the French, that all the power of the state 
was thrown into the hands of the jacobins, as the most 
violent republicans were called. The consequences were 
dreadful : the palace of the king was stormed, his guards 
massacred, himself and family confined as close prisoners, 
and royalty finally abolished in France. Ere yet the world 
recovered from its astonishment at these events, it learned 
with equal surprise and indignation, that the unfortunate 
king had been brought to trial by his subjects, and con- 
demned to death by a majority of votes. This iniquitous 
sentence was executed on the 21st of January, 1793. 

8. While France was thus distracted, England was 
quietly enjoying the blessings of peace; and the parliament 
engaged in the advancement of measures equally salutary 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 




The Duke of York at the surrender of Valenciennes. 

and judicious. Several taxes that pressed on commerce and 
industry were repealed ; a bill introduced by Mr. Fox to 
make juries in cases of libel judges of law as well as fact, 
was passed ; some further concessions were made to the 
Roman catholics ; but Mr. Wilberforce's motion for the 
abolition of the slave-trade was lost by a considerable ma- 
jority. 9. In the East Indies, Tippoo Saib (son of Hyder 
Ally), who seems to have inherited his father's hostility to 
England along with his dominions, was completely subdued 
by lord Cornwallis, and forced to purchase peace by the 
cession of a large portion of his dominions, and the pay- 
ment of an enormous sum, for the performance of which 
his sons were given as hostages. 

10. (1793.) The atrocities committed by the French 
jacobins completed the alienation of the British people from 
the cause of the new revolution ; and the ministry, now 
certain of popular support, adopted several measures which 
left their hostility no longer doubtful. The national con- 
vention immediately declared war against the king of 
Great Britain and the stadtholder of Holland, intimating by 
this artful phraseology that the people of these countries 
had an interest distinct from their respective sovereigns. 
11. It is certain that this declaration of war, if not directly 
provoked, was by no means unacceptable to the British 
ministry, and the great body of the aristocracy by which it 
was supported. Immediately after its appearance, the duke 



GEORGE III. 389 

of York was sent to join the allied armies in the invasion 
of France ; but the invaders, though at first successful, 
having taken Valenciennes, soon suffered some severe 
checks ; and at the end of the second campaign were totally 
defeated by the republicans. The fortified harbour of 
Toulon having been surrendered to the English, the French 
government made the most strenuous efforts for its recovery ; 
these proved for a time abortive, until the direction of the 
siege was intrusted to Napoleon Bonaparte, who now for 
the first time appeared on that scene where he afterwards 
played so conspicuous a part. By his exertions the Eng- 
lish were compelled to evacuate the town, leaving the 
greater portion of the citizens exposed to the sanguinary 
vengeance of the irritated republicans. 

12. (1794.) To compensate for this ill success by land, 
the British navy established its wonted pre-eminence, in a 
victory gained by earl Howe over the French fleet in the 
West Indies ; and several of the colonies belonging to 
France were about the same time conquered with little 
trouble. 13. The domestic occurrences of this period, 
though not very numerous, were not deficient in import- 
ance : Messrs. Hardy, Home Tooke, and others, were 
brought to trial at the Old Bailey on a charge of high-trea- 
son, and acquitted, after a patient investigation, which lasted 
several days. That they desired to effect a great change in 
the constitution of the country was acknowledged by the 
prisoners themselves ; but it was clearly proved that they 
wished to obtain reform only by legal and constitutional 
means, and that they were opposed to violence and insur- 
rectionary movements. The ministers succeeded better 
with similar prosecutions in Ireland and Scotland, where 
several persons were found guilty of sedition, and sentenced 
to several degrees of punishment. 

14. (1795.) The ill success of the war induced many 
of the continental sovereigns to make peace with the French 
republic. The grand-duke of Tuscany set the example, 
and was followed by the king of Spain, the Swiss cantons, 
and the regent of Sweden. The king of Prussia only 
waited until he had received the English subsidy, and then 
signed a treaty with the power he had been paid to oppose. 
The people of Holland expelled the stadtholder, and erect- 
ing in their* country what they called a Batavian republic, 
became virtually a province of France. In short, England 
had scarcely an allv remaining but Austria, and the con- 
2 k 2 



390 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

tinued friendship of that power was never a matter of cer- 
tainty. 15. The English navy obtained some triumphs, 
especially a brilliant victory under lord Bridport, at Port 
l'Orient; but an expedition undertaken by the French emi- 
grants, under the auspices of the British ministry, was 
signally defeated. 

16. Symptoms of discontent, almost amounting to dis- 
affection, began to be manifested in various parts of the 
empire; the successes of the war had been few and of little 
value ; but had they been still more decisive, they would 
not have compensated for the distress occasioned by un- 
precedented taxation. The people of London suffered se- 
verely from the interruption of commerce, and some of the 
lower class, irritated by their protracted misery, assailed 
the king's carriage when his majesty went in state to the 
house of lords. This outrage served, however, to strengthen 
the administration, for the parliament, indignant at the out- 
rage offered to the sovereign, sanctioned several bills for the 
suppression of sedition ; bills, perhaps, rendered necessary 
by the peculiar circumstances of the period, but which 
greatly diminished the limits of British freedom. 17. The 
prince of Wales, in order to procure the payment of his 
debts, married his cousin, the princess Caroline of Bruns- 
wick ; we must once again refer to this unfortunate union, 
it is sufficient to say here, that a daughter was born in the 
beginning of the following year, soon after which the parents 
were finally separated. 

18. (1796.) The Dutch and Spaniards, having joined their 
forces to those of the French, were now become enemies 
of Great Britain ; and this country, from being an accessary, 
was now a principal in the war. Several of the Dutch set- 
tlements in the East Indies were subdued, but England lost 
the island of Corsica, which had been formally placed under 
British protection a few years previously. The Austrians 
were almost driven out of Italy by the French under Napo- 
leon Bonaparte, whose brilliant career began now to excite 
the attention of Europe. A fruitless effort to terminate the 
war by negotiation was made by the British ministry ; it 
failed, because probably it never was intended to succeed. 

19. (1797.) The enormous expenses which Great Britain 
had to sustain were found to have exhausted the resources 
of the country so much, that at length the bank stopped 
payment ; and an issue of paper money was of course the 
consequence. Two alarming mutinies broke out in the 



GEORGE III. 391 

navy ; that at Spithead was settled by giving the seamen 
additional pay, but that at the Nore was not quelled without 
bloodshed, and the execution of some of the ringleaders. 
20. But England still maintained her naval renown; a bril- 
liant victory was gained by sir John Jarvis over the Spanish 
fleet, off Cape St. Vincent, and an equally glorious triumph 
was obtained over the Dutch by admiral Duncan, at Cam- 
perdown. 21. Our ally had not equal fortune, Austria was 
everywhere defeated, and to escape total ruin was obliged 
to submit to the terms of peace which Bonaparte dictated at 
Campo Formio. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the state of France at the commencement of the revolution ? 

2. In what dangerous circumstances were the different orders of society ? 

3. How did the American war precipitate a revolution ? 

4. What triumphs were gained by the popular party at the meeting of the 

sta'es-general ? 

5. Did these alterations produce any important results ? 

6. In what manner was the French revolution regarded in England ? 

7. What consequences were produced by the duke of Brunswick's procla- 

mation ? 

8. What was the state of England at this time ? 

9. Was any important advantages gained in the East Indies ? 

10. How did the war commence ? 

11. What reverses did the English experience? 

12. By what naval triumphs were these compensated? 

13. Did any important trials occur at this time ? 

14. How did the allies of England behave? 

15. Where was lord Bridport victorious ? 

16. How did the people of England show their discontent? 

17. What royal marriage was contracted at this time ? 

18. In what manner was the war conducted ? 

19. Did any dangerous events occur in England ? 

20. How did the English navy behave? 

21. Where was peace made between France and Austria ? 



SECTION VIII. 

. 1. (A.D. 1798.) The restoration of the legislative inde- 
pendence of Ireland in 1782 was far from satisfying the ex- 
pectations formed by a considerable party in that country. 
Reform in parliament, and a repeal of the remnant of the 
penal laws against the Roman catholics, were rather de- 
manded as a right than craved as a boon ; and when the 
government refused to make concessions, the majority re- 
mained sullen and discontented, while a few wilder spirits 



392 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

meditated a total separation from England, and the esta- 
blishment of an Irish republic after the example of France. 
The lower classes were easily induced to adopt schemes 
that flattered their national pride ; and though government, 
having received timely information, arrested the principal 
leaders, disaffection was too extensive to be thus checked, 
and several counties broke out in open insurrection. After 
a sanguinary struggle, disgraced by several atrocities on both 
sides, the revolters were everywhere defeated ; and on the 
surrender of a small body of French who had been sent to 
aid the insurgents, peace was finally restored by the judi- 
cious and merciful measures of lord Cornwallis. 

2. In the mean time, Napoleon, with a large fleet and 
army, proceeded to Egypt, and on his voyage obtained pos- 
session of Malta by the treachery of the knights. The ca- 
reer of the French invader was sufficiently triumphant in 
Egypt, but his hopes of permanent success were sadly 
blighted by the loss of his fleet, over which admiral Nelson 
obtained one of the most complete victories recorded in the 
annals of war. 3. This brilliant triumph was obtained in 
Aboukir Bay, one of the mouths of the Nile, on the first of 
August ; nine sail of the line were taken ; two more and a 
frigate either burnt or blown up during the action, and only 
two escaped, which, however, were subsequently captured. 
Soon after Bonaparte was repulsed before Acre, chiefly by 
the heroic exertions of sir Sidney Smith ; and having at the 
same time received news from France that seemed to open 
safer and brighter objects, he secretly returned home, and 
soon effected a revolution, by which he placed himself at 
the head of the government with the title of first consul. 

4. The first measure taken by Napoleon after his eleva- 
tion, was to send a letter to the king of England offering 
peace ; this was instantly rejected, for a new and powerful 
coalition had been formed against France, from which the 
most splendid success was anticipated. But this coalition 
soon fell to pieces ; the Russian emperor withdrew his 
forces ; the duke of York was forced to quit Holland with 
his army on finding the population indisposed to second his 
efforts, and the French, under the new government, display- 
ed even more than their former energies. 

5. In the East Indies the English waged a successful war 
against their old enemy Tippoo Saib ; his capital was taken 
by storm, himself slain, and all his treasures divided among 
the conquerors. Since that period the entire peninsula of 



GEORGE III. 393 

India has been virtually subjected to the authority of the 
English. 

6. (A. D. 1800.) Austria had again commenced war 
against France, and was maintaining it with characteristic 
obstinacy, when Napoleon brought it to a sudden close by- 
one of those master-strokes of genius which baffle ordinary 
calculation. He led his army across the Alps into Italy in 
despite of the most appalling difficulties, and obtained a 
complete victory at Marengo. A subsidy from England 
induced the Austrian emperor to continue his resistance, but 
the battle of Hohenlinden placed him completely at the 
mercy of the conqueror, and he was forced to solicit terms 
of peace. 

7. The question of a legislative union with England, 
which had been previously negatived in the Irish house of 
commons, was finally carried by the minister ; it was deter- 
mined that from the 1st of January, 1801, there should be 
but one imperial parliament for the British islands, in which 
Ireland should be represented by four spiritual peers, taken 
in rotation every session, twenty-eight temporal peers 
chosen for life, and one hundred commoners elected in the 
usual manner. 

8. (1801.) Paul, emperor of Russia, not satisfied with 
deserting the alliance of England, became her bitter enemy, 
and persuaded the other northern powers to revive the 
hostile confederation, called the armed neutrality. After 
negotiation had been tried ineffectually, a fleet was sent 
against Copenhagen, under the command of admiral Parker, 
assisted by lord Nelson. After having passed the Sound 
with little difficulty, Nelson attacked, and almost annihilated 
the formidable lines of the Danish defence ; but some of 
his own ships having grounded in a situation exposed to the 
fire of the hostile batteries, he took advantage of his previ- 
ous success to offer terms of accommodation, which were 
immediately accepted. It is probable that the war might 
have been again renewed had not intelligence been received 
of the deposition of the emperor Paul, who had been the 
head of the confederacy. His son and successor, Alexan- 
der, was anxious to be on good terms with Great Britain ; 
and the minor states found themselves obliged to imitate his 
example. 

9. An expedition, under the command of sir Ralph 
Abercrombie, was equally successful in expelling the French 
from Egypt, but that distinguished officer fell in the arms of 



394 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

victory. The French, having been defeated at Alexandria, 
offered terms when general Hutchinson was preparing to 
besiege them in Cairo, and evacuated the country pursuant 
to the articles of capitulation. 10. Before the news of this 
success arrived in England, the country had been threatened 
with an invasion. Troops were collected along the coasts 
of France and Holland, and vessels prepared for their trans- 
portation in the harbours along the channel. Lord Nelson 
was sent with a flotilla to attack Boulogne, the enemy's 
principal rendezvous, but failed after two brilliant efforts. 
The bravery, however, displayed by the British sailors, and 
the manifest superiority of England by sea, convinced Na- 
poleon that the enterprise was hopeless, and the project was 
soon laid aside. 

11. Both the belligerent powers were now heartily tired 
of a war, which exhausted their resources, and conferred 
advantages on neither. In deference to the general wish, 
a change of ministry was effected in England ; Mr. Adding- 
ton (afterwards lord Sidmouth) became premier in place of 
Mr. Pitt, and negotiations instantly commenced. (1802.) 
The terms were soon arranged, and a peace was concluded 
at Amiens, which cannot be better described than by the 
words of an eminent statesman, " it was a peace at which 
everybody rejoiced, but of which nobody could be proud." 

12. From the moment in which the treaty of peace was 
signed, jealousies and discontents daily arose in France and 
England, which threatened to produce fresh hostilities at no 
very distant period. Bonaparte, having been appointed first 
consul for life, used every exertion to enlarge dominions of 
which he was now in all but name the sovereign ; he aggran- 
dized France by the annexation of Piedmont to its territories, 
and had given even greater offence by invading Switzer- 
land. On the other hand, the first consul complained that 
England still retained possession of Malta, which, by the 
terms of the late treaty, should have been restored to the 
knights, and remonstrated against the virulent libels on his 
character, which were published in the English newspapers, 
as he believed, with the connivance of government. (A.D. 
1803.) These mutual bickerings soon produced more angry 
demonstrations; lord Whitworth, the English ambassador, 
having been treated with unmerited indignity, withdrew 
from France, and war was soon after proclaimed. 

13. A short time previous to the recommencement of hos- 
tilities, a conspiracy for the subversion of the government 



GEORGE III. 305 

was detected in England. It was formed by a colonel Des- 
pard, who fancied that government had treated him with 
unjust neglect ; his associates were desperate men of the 
lowest ranks, and nothing could be more wild or inadequate 
than the means by which they proposed to execute their 
insane projects. 14. The execution of the principal con- 
spirators restored public confidence ; but in a few months 
the alarm was again renewed by the account of an insur- 
rection having broken out in Dublin. The leader of the 
revolt was Robert Emmett, a young man of the most amia- 
ble qualities, but a wild and visionary enthusiast. The 
insurgents were badly armed and worse disciplined ; they 
were consequently subdued with little difficulty, but not 
before lord Kilwarden and his nephew had tyeen murdered 
by the infatuated mob. 

15. Napoleon recommenced the war with great vigour ; 
his troops overran Hanover, and compelled the princes in the 
north of Germany to close their ports against the English. 
On the other hand, the British navy blockaded the mouths 
of the principal rivers from which British traders were ex- 
cluded, and captured several French colonies. The English 
having made prizes of many French merchant-ships, and 
treated their crews as prisoners, Bonaparte seized on all the 
English visiters who were travelling in France, and detained 
them as hostages. 16. About the same time, the French 
army, which had been employed to suppress the revolt of 
the negroes in St. Domingo, being cut off from all supplies 
by the British cruisers, was forced to surrender, and the 
island has since remained an independent state under the 
name of Hayti. The threats of invading Britain were re- 
peated, but after a vain display of force on both sides, no 
efforts were made to put the threats in execution. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. What calamitous event occurred in Ireland ? 

2. Whither did Napoleon lead his new armament ? 

3- How was the progress of the French in Egypt checked ? 

4. What was Napoleon's first attempt when appointed consul ? 

5. Did the English obtain any triumph in the East Indies ? 

6. Where was the power of Austria overthrown ? 

7. What important change was made in the government of Ireland ? 

8. How did England escape the dangers threatened by the armed neu- 

trality ? 

9. By whom were the French driven from Egypt ? 

10. What events were produced by the threats of invasion ? 

11. How was a peace effected ? 

12. Did the peace promise to be permanent ? 



39G HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

13. What conspiracy was discovered in England ? 

14. Was there not a new attempt at insurrection in Ireland ? 

15. How did the war commence? 

16. Of what island were the French deprived ? 



SECTION IX. 

1. (A.D. 1804.) The administration of Mr. Addington 
having failed to give satisfaction to the nation, he resigned, 
and was succeeded by Mr. Pitt, who immediately devoted 
all his energies to the formation of a new coalition against 
France. In this labour he was not a little assisted by the 
general indignation which was excited by the unprincipled 
murder of the duke d'Enghien. This unfortunate young 
prince was seized by the emissaries of Bonaparte in a 
neutral territory, dragged to the castle of Vincennes, sub- 
jected to the mockery of a trial before a military tribunal, 
and shot in the ditch of the castle by torch-light. Immedi- 
ately after the perpetration of this crime, Bonaparte was 
proclaimed emperor of the French and king of Italy ; but 
the assumption of the latter title gave great offence to 
Austria, whose claims on Italy were thus contemptuously 
disregarded. 

2. One ally, however, was ensured to France by an act 
of questionable policy on the part of England. Spain hav- 
ing entered into a treaty with Napoleon, the British minister 
determined to intercept the treasure ships from South 
America, without waiting for the formality of a declaration 
of war. Three of these vessels were intercepted by the 
British squadron, two were taken, but the third unfortu- 
nately blew up, and the greater part of the crew perished. 
The Spanish court, on hearing the news, immediately pro- 
claimed itself the enemy of Great Britain. 

3. (A.D. 1805.) The naval triumphs of England were 
consummated by the almost total annihilation of the hostile 
fleets. The French ships of war in Toulon, having baffled 
the vigilance of the blockading squadron, effected a junction 
with the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, and sailed for the West 
Indies ; hither they were pursued by lord Nelson ; but hav- 
ing heard of his approach, the allied admirals returned to 
Europe. Nelson soon followed, and after several disap- 
pointments, had, at length, the satisfaction to discover the 



GEORGE III. 



397 




Death of lord Nelson. 



French under Villeneuve, and the Spaniards under Gravina, 
on the morning of October 21st, drawn up in a double line 
of battle off Cape Trafalgar. The British navy attacked 
in two columns, the windward line being led by Nelson, in 
the Victory, the leeward by admiral Collingwood. After a 
terrible engagement, which lasted three hours, the English 
obtained a decisive victory. Nineteen sail of the line, with 
Villeneuve, and two other flag officers, were captured ; the 
remainder, under admiral Gravina, fled, but several of them 
were subsequently taken by a squadron under sir R. 
Strachan. 4. This victory was dearly purchased by the 
death of lord Nelson, who had long been the pride of the 
English navy. He was mortally wounded by a musket-ball 
in the middle of the action, and died a little before its close. 
5. The grief of his country was shown by the honours paid 
to his memory ; his brother was raised to the peerage ; a 
liberal pension settled on his widow ; his remains were 
deposited in St. Paul's cathedral, accompanied by a proces- 
sion more splendid and magnifient than England had ever 
witnessed on a similar occasion, and a monument erected at 
the public expense as a lasting testimony of national grati- 
tude. Rewards were also voted to the companions of his 
victory; admiral Collingwood was raised to the peerage, and 
a liberal provision was made for the wounded, and for the 
families of the slain. 

6. The triumphs of France by land amply compensated 
2 L 



398 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

for her losses by sea. The Austrians were everywhere 
defeated ; the archduke Charles was driven from Italy by 
Massena; Ulm was surrendered to Napoleon by general 
Mack, under circumstances that led to strong suspicions of 
treachery ; and, finally, Vienna itself submitted to the con- 
queror. The junction of the Russians gave a temporary 
confidence to the Austrian emperor; but his hopes proved 
fallacious ; on the 2d of December Napoleon totally de- 
feated the allied armies at Austerlitz, and Austria was 
necessarily compelled to submit to whatever terms the con- 
queror thought fit to dictate. 

7. (A.D. 1806.) The failure of a coalition which he had 
taken so much pains to form, and the mortification of seeing 
his colleague, lord Melville, impeached by the house of 
commons, preyed on Mr. Pitt's health, and, to use a com- 
mon but expressive phrase, broke his heart. He was ho- 
noured with a public funeral, and a monument erected to his 
memory at the national expense. A new administration 
was formed under the auspices of lord Grenville and Mr. 
Fox, one of whose first measures was the final abolition of 
the slave-trade. Mr. Fox did not long survive his great 
political rival ; he died in the course of the same year. 

8. During the late struggle the conduct of the king of 
Prussia had been marked by singular indecision. Scarcely, 
however, had Austria been crushed, than, to the great asto- 
nishment of the world, it was announced, that Prussia, in a 
moment of chivalrous enthusiasm, had determined singly to 
cope with the victorious arms of France. The war was 
decided in a single campaign ; the Prussians were irretrieva- 
bly ruined at the battle of Jena ; fortress after fortress sur- 
rendered to Napoleon, and the unfortunate king, stripped of 
the greater part of his dominions, had now no hope but in 
the assistance of Russia. 9. (A.D. 1807.) Even this last 
hope failed, an indecisive battle was fought at Eylau ; but 
the Russians having failed in an attempt to relieve Dantzic, 
and suffered a total defeat at Friedland, solicited terms of 
peace. A treaty was concluded at Tilsit, by which the 
Prussian king was stripped of half his dominions, and had 
the further mortification to learn that the remainder was 
spared only in deference to the wishes of the young emperor 
of Russia. 

10. This decisive success enabled Bonaparte to execute 
the projects which he had so long formed against the com- 
merce of England. By the celebrated Berlin decrees, all 



GEORGE III. 399 

the continental ports were closed against British manufac- 
turers, and Denmark, though long in alliance with England, 
was forced to comply with the imperious mandate. This 
led to the adoption of measures by the British government, 
which could only be justified by the most stern necessity. 

11. An expedition, under the command of admiral lord 
Gambier, and general the earl of Cathcart, was sent to 
compel the surrender of the Dansih fleet, in order that it 
might be retained as a deposite by England until the con- 
clusion of the war, as Napoleon notoriously designed to 
have employed it in restoring the navy of France. The 
demand was peremptorily refused; but the English having 
bombarded Copenhagen for three days successively, his 
Danish majesty, to save his capital from total destruction, 
agreed to the proposed terms, and the whole fleet, consisting 
of eighteen ships of the line, fifteen frigates, and thirty-one 
smaller vessels, was given up, together with an immense 
quantity of naval stores. 

\2. But the other foreign expeditions undertaken by the 
English were unusually unsuccessful ; Buenos Ayres, after 
its capture by sir Home Popham, was recovered by the 
inhabitants, and an armament sent out for its recovery under 
general Whitelocke failed signally and disgracefully : a 
fleet under admiral Duckworth forced the passage of the 
Dardanelles, but being unable to make an impression on 
Constantinople, was compelled to retire with loss : Alexan- 
dria, in Egypt, was eaptured by general Fraser, but he was 
soon compelled to evacuate his conquest ; and an expedition 
undertaken to assist the king of Sweden had an equally 
inefficient termination. 

13. The Grenville administration, which had been very 
popular at the outset, had now declined considerably in 
public favour ; and it probably had never possessed the full 
confidence of the king. The ministers having brought for- 
ward some measures of concession to the Roman catholics, 
which his majesty disapproved, were compelled to resign, 
and Mr. Pitt's friends were recalled to the cabinet. 

14. Portugal was now the only part of the continent 
open to Great Britain, and Napoleon determined that her 
manufactures should be excluded from this country also. 
The prince-regent of Portugal, alarmed by the appearance 
of a powerful French army on his frontiers, promised obe- 
dience to the demands of the French emperor ; but finding 
that every compliance was insufficient to conciliate the 



400 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

invaders, and that the annihilation of his kingdom was 
intended, he embarked on board the English fleet, and was 
conveyed to the Brazilian settlements in South America. 
Immediately after his departure the French occupied Lisbon 
without opposition. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. How did Napoleon excite the resentment of the European monarchs? 

2. Why did the Spaniards support the French with all their might ? 

3. What great naval victory did the English obtain ? 

4. By what event was the joy for this victory diminished ? 

5. In what manner did the English nation show its respect for Nelson and 

his companions ? 

6. Did the French gain any advantages on land ? 

7. Why was there a change made in the British ministry ? 

8. What success had the Prussians in their war against France ? 

9. By what events was a peace precipitated ? 

10. What use did Napoleon make of his victory ? 

11. How did the English act under these circumstances? 

12. In what expeditions were the English unsuccessful ? 

13. What circumstances brought about a change in the British ministry? 

14. What remarkable events took place in Portugal ? 



SECTION X. 

1. (A.D. 1808.) The unprincipled occupation of Portu- 
gal was followed by a series of transactions still more iniqui- 
tous in Spain, which, though at first apparently successful, 
blighted for ever the character of Napoleon, and contributed 
not a little to his final overthrow. Seldom have the annals 
of any country presented such a picture of vice and imbe- 
cility as was displayed by the court of Spain at the period 
which now occupies our attention ; the king was a weak and 
irresolute monarch, destitute of abilities for managing the 
affairs of state, even in the most tranquil times ; and, 
consequently, wholly unfit to rule at a period when all 
Europe was convulsed by the consequences of the French 
revolution. His prime minister, and the virtual ruler of 
Spain, was Godoy, whom the illicit attachment of the queen 
had raised from the rank of a private gentleman to guide the 
national councils, under the proud title of the Prince of the 
Peace. But Godoy was by no means fitted to discharge the 
duties of the station to which he had been raised. Possess- 
ing neither talent nor principle, he pursued a selfish and 



GEORGE III. 401 

vacillating course of policy, which wasted the resources of 
Spain, and made the country contemptible in the eyes of all 
the surrounding nations. 2. Godoy was of course unpopu- 
lar ; the nobility despised him as an upstart ; the people 
regarded him as the author of all the calamities by which 
they were oppressed ; and, at length, reports having been 
circulated that he intended to remove the royal family to 
South America, a furious insurrection broke out, which 
terminated in stripping Godoy of all his authority. De- 
prived of his only reliance, the imbecile Charles resigned 
the crown to his son Ferdinand, prince of Asturias, who was 
at once proclaimed king, to the universal delight of the 
people. 3. When Napoleon received intelligence of this 
revolution, he immediately proceeded to Bayonne, in order 
to be nearer the scene of action, and directed the numerous 
army, which he maintained in Spain, to occupy Madrid. 
By means of some obscure intrigues, Charles was induced 
to withdraw his abdication, and claim the assistance of the 
French emperor against his rebellious son; while at the 
same time assurances were privately conveyed to Ferdinand 
that Napoleon was attached to his cause, and would, if an 
appeal was made, certainly decide in his favour. 4. By 
such representations the entire Spanish royal family was 
induced to cross the frontier ; and no sooner were they in 
the power of the French emperor, than they were severally 
compelled to abdicate their claims to the crown, which Na- 
poleon was determined to transfer to his brother Joseph. 

5. When the iniquitous transactions at Bayonne became 
known, they filled the mind of every Spaniard with feelings 
of the deepest indignation ; one sentiment seemed to per- 
vade the entire nation ; a determination to maintain the 
independence of their country, and submit to none but their 
legitimate sovereign. The French were able to suppress 
the insurrection at Madrid after a fearful massacre, which 
is the deepest stain on the character of Murat, by whom the 
garrison was commanded ; but in the provinces, provisional 
juntas were formed, armies levied, and every preparation 
made for a vigorous resistance to the usurpers. The gar- 
rison of Gibraltar, and the British fleets in the Mediterra- 
nean, lent their assistance to the efforts of the patriots, and 
by their aid the important city of Cadiz was secured, and 
the French fleet, which lay in the harbour, forced to sur- 
render. 6. The armies of France also met some severe 
checks ; Dupont, with a force of 15,000 men, was forced 
2 l 2 



402 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

to surrender to the patriot general Castanos ; Moncey was 
compelled to retreat from Valencia ; and lastly, a Spanish 
army, which had been employed by Bonaparte in the north 
of Germany, revolted, and was conveyed by a British squad- 
ron to the peninsula. 

7. The name of insurrection soon spread to Portugal ; 
and though the French generals in that unhappy country 
endeavoured to suppress the revolt by cruelly massacring 
all suspected of having shared in the efforts for the libera- 
tion of their country, this detestable policy only engendered 
a more determined spirit of resistance, and a fiercer thirst 
for vengeance. 

., 8. The news of the events in the peninsula was received 
in England with the greatest enthusiasm. The Spanish 
deputies were welcomed with the utmost warmth ; all the 
Spanish prisoners released, clothed, armed, and sent to aid 
the efforts of their countrymen ; munitions of war were 
supplied to the patriots from the British arsenals ; public 
aids and private subscriptions were liberally contributed for 
the supply of their exhausted resources ; and a well-appointed 
army under the command of sir Arthur Wellesley, sent to 
assist in the liberation of Portugal. 

9. On the first of August the British troops landed in 
Mondego Bay, and soon commenced active operations. On 
the seventeenth, the French were defeated at Rolica ; but on 
the twenty-first, a still more decisive battle was fought at 
Vimiera, and the English were completely victorious. 10. 
Unfortunately at this important moment, sir Arthur Welles- 
ley was superseded in his command by sir Harry Burrard, 
who gave immediate orders to stop the pursuit, thus sacri- 
ficing all the fruits of this brilliant victory. On the following 
morning, sir Hew Dalrymple arrived to take the supreme 
command, and he entered into negotiations with the French 
commander. 11. A convention for the evacuation of Portu- 
gal was concluded at C intra, on terms so favourable to the 
French that they excited universal dissatisfaction. One 
article provided for the security of the Russian fleet then 
lying in the Tagus ; but this the English admiral, sir Charles 
Cotton, peremptorily refused to ratify ; and the ships were 
surrendered to him on condition of being restored in six 
months after the conclusion of peace with Russia. 

12. Portugal being now free from the invader, sir John 
Moore, who had been appointed to the command of the 
British army, was directed to advance into northern Spain, 



GEORGE III. 



403 




Death of sir John Moore. 



and aid the exertions of the patriots. The instructions sent 
to the gallant general had been prepared on the faith of the 
representations made by the Spanish deputies in London ; 
it was not discovered, until too late, that these were wholly 
unworthy of credit. 13. The resolute spirit of hostility to 
the French in the lower ranks of the Spaniards is indubita- 
ble ; but the upper ranks, at the same time ignorant and 
conceited, were slow to make any exertion, and thought 
more of securing for themselves some petty authority than 
joining in efforts for the liberation of their country. Like 
all weak and vain-glorious men, they were great boasters ; 
they told of countless armies and exhaustless resources ; but 
when the moment of trial arrived, their armies were found 
to be an undisciplined rabble, and even sometimes to have 
existed only on paper ; their magazines were discovered to 
be empty, and their boasted preparations to have consisted 
in doing nothing. Even before sir John Moore had entered 
Spain, the principal forces with which he had been destined 
to co-operate were defeated and dispersed, in a great degree 
by the sheer incapacity of their generals. When sir John 
Moore found that all the expectations which he had been 
led to form were utterly groundless, he resolved to return to 
Portugal ; the British minister to the Spanish junta, how- 
ever, prevailed on him to change his resolution and to hazard 
an advance into the heart of the country. 14. In the mean 
time Napoleon himself had arrived to take the direction of 
the invading army, and the promptitude of his movements 



404 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

soon left the British general no other choice but retreat. 
The sufferings of the army during this retrogade movement 
transcend the powers of description ; discipline was for the 
most part at an end, and the country they had come to 
protect was treated by the famished soldiers as if it had 
belonged to an enemy. 15. (A.D. 1809.) At length, when 
they reached Corunna, the enemy was found to nave pursued 
them so close that nothing but a victory or a convention 
could secure their embarkation. Sir John Moore at once 
decided to risk the chances of battle ; he obtained a victory 
so glorious as to shade the calamities of the retreat ; but 
unfortunately the success of the army was purchased by the 
life of its gallant commander. 

16. (A.D. 1809.) Taking advantage of the withdrawing 
of the French troops from Germany to recruit the armies in 
Spain, the emperor of Austria again determined to encounter 
the hazards of war, and endeavour to retrieve his former 
fortunes. But the same fatality which had hitherto attended 
the military operations of this power, still counteracted its 
efforts. Napoleon, in a brief but decisive campaign, made 
himself master of Vienna ; and though his army met a 
severe check at Asperne, he soon after obtained a decisive 
victory at Wagram, which prostrated the Austrian empire 
at his feet. 

17. But while this contest remained as yet doubtful, the 
English were fast retrieving their tarnished honour in the 
peninsula. Sir Arthur Wellesley was sent again to the 
scenes of his former glory, and succeeded in expelling the 
French from Oporto, and several other acquisitions which 
they had made in Portugal after the retreat of sir John 
Moore. He even advanced into Spain, and obtained a bril- 
liant victory at Talavera ; but being unsupported by the 
Spanish authorities, he was obliged to relinquish his con- 
quests, and terminate the campaign without obtaining any 
decisive advantage. For the skill and bravery, however, 
which had been displayed at Talavera, sir Arthur Wellesley 
was elevated to the peerage with the title of viscount Wel- 
lington. 

18. To create a diversion in favour of Austria, an expedi 
tion was sent to the coast of Holland, under the command 
of the earl of Chatham and sir Richard Strachan. The 
fortress of Flushing and the island of Walcheren were 
subdued ; but the unhealthiness of the climate forced the 
conquerors to evacuate these acquisitions after the sacrifice 



GEORGE III. 405 

of many valuable lives. It must be confessed that this 
unfortunate enterprise was badly conceived and badly exe- 
cuted ; the armament did not reach the coast of Holland 
until Austria had been irretrievably ruined ; and the main 
objects of the expedition, the destruction of the French 
fleet in the Scheldt, and the occupation of Antwerp, were 
scarcely attempted. 

19. There were, however, some gallant exploits per- 
formed during the year by the British navy, which contri- 
buted to maintain the national courage. A French squadron 
lying in Basque Roads was attacked by lords Gambier 
and Cochrane ; four ships of the line and three frigates 
were burned, and several others disabled. Lord Collingwood 
destroyed, in the bay of Rossa, three sail of the line, two 
frigates, and twenty transports. Sir James Saumarez cap- 
tured a Russian convoy in the Baltic ; and several important 
islands were wrested from the French in the West Indies. 

20. At home the attention of the public was directed, in 
no ordinary degree, to a parliamentary investigation into 
the conduct of his royal highness the duke of York, as 
commander-in-chief. After a laborious inquiry, the royal 
duke was acquitted by a great majority, but he deemed it 
right to resign his situation immediately after. On the 25th 
of October, a jubilee was celebrated with great splendour 
through the kingdom on account of his majesty's having 
entered the fiftieth year of his reign. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What was the condition of Spain at this time ? 

2. What were the consequences of Godoy's proceedings ? 

3. How did Napoleon act under these circumstances ? 

4. In what manner were the Spanish king and prince treated by their ally ? 

5. Did the Spanish people show their indignation ? 

6. Were any triumphs obtained by the Spanish patriots ? 

7. What was the situation of Portugal at this time ? 

8. How was the intelligence of these events received in England ? 

9. In what manner did sir A. Wellesley commence his victorious career in 

the peninsula? 

10. How were the fruits of his victory lost ? 

11. What was the convention of Cintra? 

12. To what expedition was sir John Moore appointed ? 

13. With what difficulties had he to struggle ? 

14. How was he compelled to retreat ? 

15. By what means was the embarkation of the army secured ? 

16. What success had the Austrians in their new war against France ? 

17. For what victory was sir A. Wellesley raised to the peerage ? 

18. In what unfortunate expedition did the English engage ? 

19. Was this loss compensated by any victories I 

20. What delicate investigation took place in England ? 



406 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 



SECTION XI. 



1. (A.D. 1810.) The peace with Austria enabled Napo- 
leon to send fresh armies into the peninsula, and the patriots 
sustained a series of reverses which seemed to have decided 
the fate of Spain. But it was not in the regular field of 
battle that the hostilities of the Spaniards were most to be 
dreaded; their bands of guerillas, that cut off all stragglers, 
intercepted convoys, and harassed every march, were more 
formidable than any regular army that could be assembled. 
The presence of the British in Portugal was justly deemed 
the principal impediment to the tranquillity of the French 
in Spain ; and Napoleon, therefore, despatched Massena 
with overwhelming forces to expel the British from the 
entire peninsula. The French ruler deemed himself at this 
time secure on the side of Germany, for he had married 
the archdutchess Maria Louisa, the daughter of the emperor 
of Austria, having previously divorced Josephine, the faith- 
ful companion of all his fortunes. 

2. On the approach of Massena, lord Wellington deter- 
mined to act on the defensive, and resisted every temptation 
to abandon this cautious line of policy. He retreated lei- 
surely before the enemy until attacked at Busaco, when he 
turned on his pursuers, and inflicted on them a severe de- 
feat. His lordship then continued his retreat to the impreg- 
nable lines of Torres Vedras, where he determined to remain 
until famine should compel Massena to retire. Nothing 
could exceed the astonishment of the French marshal, who 
firmly believed that the British were retreating to their 
ships, when he found them halted in a position which it 
would have been madness to attack : he was at once reduced 
to inactivity, and forced to spend the rest of the campaign 
in watching the English lines. 

3. While the war thus lingered, the death of the princess 
Amelia, the favourite daughter of the king, spread a gloom 
over the royal family, and brought on a return of that ma- 
lady by which his majesty had been previously attacked. 
The remainder of his life was spent in a state of mental 
imbecility, and the government of the country was thence- 
forth intrusted to the prince of Wales, who acted as regent 
4. A little before this event, a strange revolution took place 
in Sweden, the king was deposed, and his family excluded 



GEORGE III. 407 

from the throne ; his uncle was elected in his stead, and as 
he was childless, the succession was settled on Charles 
John Bernadotte, one of Napoleon's generals. 

5. (A.D. 1811.) The ability displayed by lord Wellington 
in selecting the lines of Torres Vedras, and the patience 
with which he waited the progress of events in that formi- 
dable position, received at length their merited reward. 
Hunger and disease made more havoc in the French army 
than the sword, and Massena soon found that nothing but 
instant retreat could save him from destruction. In this 
retrograde movement the French marshal fully maintained 
his former character for talent ; but in every other respect 
his conduct merits the universal reprobation of posterity. 
Every crime to which lust and rapine could prompt an un- 
principled soldiery, was committed with impunity; the 
claims of age or sex afforded no protection from murderous 
outrage ; mangled corpses and smoking ruin marked the 
tract by which these ruffian-warriors retreated from the land 
where their hopes had been baffled and their pride tamed. 
6. After this success, the campaign lingered without any 
very decisive operation. An attempt was made to recover 
Badajoz, which the Spaniards had surrendered to the French 
under very disgraceful circumstances. Soult advanced to 
relieve the place, and was engaged by general Beresford at 
Albuera. The battle was fierce and bloody ; the English 
purchased their victory at a very dear rate, and their losses 
were so great that they were unable to continue the siege 
which they had undertaken. Massena, to recover his lost 
fame, attacked the English at Fuentes d'Honore, but met 
with a severe repulse ; he was soon after recalled, and Mar- 
mont appointed in his stead. 7. The management of the 
Spanish armies continued to be intrusted to men, for the 
most part, ignorant of the first rudiments of their profession. 
They were frequently defeated in the course of the cam- 
paign ; but they were incapable of being instructed even by 
adversity. The English, under general Graham, obtained 
a brilliant victory at Barossa ; but the obstinacy and igno- 
rance of their allies prevented them from reaping the fruit 
of their success. 

8. (A.D. 1812.) The restrictions which had been im- 
posed on the prince-regent being removed, it was expected 
that some important changes would be made in the adminis- 
tration ; none, however, took place at that time ; but a sad 
event in the middle of the year produced a new modification 



408 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

in the ministry. The premier, Mr. Percival, was assassin- 
ated in the lobby of the house of commons by a merchant 
named Bellingham, who fancied that his just claims had 
been neglected by government. The murderer was tried at 
the Old Bailey, and executed ; but he seemed to feel little 
remorse for the horrid crime which he had committed. 
Lord Liverpool was appointed first lord of the treasury, and 
Mr. Vansittart chancellor of the exchequer, in the room of 
the deceased minister. 

9. Marmont was even a less successful rival of lord 
Wellington than his predecessor Massena ; the important 
fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz were besieged 
and stormed before the French marshal could move to their 
relief, and the forts erected to secure the fords of the Douro 
were taken almost in his presence. The two armies were 
several days within sight of each other near Salamanca, 
without coming to a general engagement : the forces were 
nearly equal, and the leaders anxiously waited to take ad- 
vantage of any blunder that might be made by their oppo- 
nents. At length Marmont made an injudicious movement 
to his left, in hopes to cut off the British from Ciudad 
Rodrigo ; his line was thus necessarily weakened, and 
Wellington instantly seized the opportunity to make his 
attack. The consequence was the total rout of the French, 
with the loss of fourteen thousand men, killed, wounded, 
and prisoners. The number of killed and wounded, on the 
part of the victors, scarcely exceeded five thousand. 

10. Naturally expecting that the intelligence of this glo- 
rious victory would stimulate the Spaniards to more vigorous 
exertions ; and relying on the promise of the British ministry 
to create a powerful diversion, by sending an expedition 
from Sicily to the south-eastern coast of Spain, Wellington, 
who had been lately created an earl, resolved to advance 
into the centre of Spain, and drive the enemy from the 
capital. This brilliant and hazardous enterprise succeeded ; 
the English were received with enthusiasm in Madrid, and 
joy was diffused throughout the entire peninsula. 11. But 
the hopes which were thus inspired proved delusive ; the 
Spaniards made no exertion to second the efforts for their 
liberation ; Ballasteros, one of their generals, refused to re- 
ceive instructions from a foreigner ; the force sent from 
Sicily was, by some blunder of the British ministry, late 
in time and miserable in amount ; the French were, there- 
fore, enabled to threaten Wellington with armies three times 



GEORGE III. 



409 




Constitution and Guerriere. 



more numerous than his own. Under these circumstances 
the English general resolved to transfer the scene of his 
operations to the north of Spain ; but having failed in an 
attack on Burgos, he was compelled to retire to the frontiers 
of Portugal. During the retreat, the British soldiers sullied 
their laurels by several outrages, which were severely re- 
prehended by Wellington, and measures taken for their pre- 
vention in future. 

12. In the mean time the ambition of Napoleon had 
hurried him into a war with Russia, which, though success- 
ful in the outset, ended in lamentable ruin. The French 
army advanced in spite of every resistance to Moscow, the 
ancient capital of the kingdom, but there their triumphs 
ended. The Russians set fire to the city ; the invaders, de- 
prived of quarters, were forced to retreat ; a severe winter 
set in, cold and famine destroyed them by thousands, and 
only a miserable relic of the finest army which had ever 
been assembled in Europe escaped across the frontiers. 

13. Some unfortunate disputes between the government 
of Great Britain and the United States led to a war between 
two countries, which similarity of language and ancient 
connexion ought to have kept for ever in amity. The 
Americans unsuccessfully invaded Canada, but at sea their 
frigates obtained some signal triumphs over British vessels. 
The first of this series of victories was the capture of the 

2 M 



410 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

British frigate Guerriere, by the American frigate Constitu- 
tion, commanded by captain Hull. 

14. (A. D. 1813.) The Spanish Cortes became at length 
convinced of the necessity of giving the command of their 
armies to the British general, and a complete change in the 
fortunes of the war followed this judicious measure. By a 
series of brilliant operations, the French were driven from 
their several positions on the Ebro and the Douro, com- 
pelled to abandon the capital, and at length reduced to the 
alternative of abandoning the country, or fighting a pitched 
battle to preserve their conquests. Joseph adopted the 
latter course, and drew up his forces near Vittoria, which 
had been made the French depot in the northern provinces. 
In this position he was attacked by lord Wellington, on the 
21st of June, and after a severe contest utterly overthrown. 
The artillery, baggage, and military chest of the fugitives, 
fell into the hands of the victors ; and so complete was 
the rout, that the remnants of the defeated army scarcely 
deemed themselves safe until they had escaped beyond the 
frontier. Before pursuing them into France, it was neces- 
sary to reduce the fortresses of St. Sebastian and Pampe- 
luna, which were immediately invested. The former, after 
a frightful loss, was taken by storm ; the latter surrendered 
some time after by capitulation. 

15. The reverses of the French in the north of Europe 
were equally signal. Prussia and Sweden joined their 
armies to Russia ; Austria subsequently joined the alliance, 
and their united forces obtained a decisive victory over those 
of the French emperor at Leipsic. The retreat of the de- 
feated army was disastrous in the extreme ; the Germans 
everywhere joined the pursuers, and after suffering the 
most severe calamities, Napoleon's army was driven across 
the Rhine, and it became evident that the next campaign 
would commence with the invasion of France both on her 
eastern and western frontier. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. How was Bonaparte enabled to give his undivided attention to the affairs 

of the peninsula ? 

2. In what manner did Wellington act? 

3. What remarkable event took place at this time in England ? 

4. Did any revolution take place in Sweden ? 

5. How did Massena conduct his retreat from Torres Vedras? 

6. Were there any other remarkable events in the campaign ? 



GEORGE III. 411 

7. How did the Spanish government behave ? 

8. What event caused a change of ministry in England ? 

9. What great victory did Wellington gain over Marmont ? 

10. How did Wellington endeavour to improve his triumph? 

11. By what circumstances were Wellington's hopes frustrated ? 

12. In what new war did Bonaparte engage ? 

13. What new enemy assailed the English ? 

14. What great victory did Wellington gain over Joseph Bonaparte? 

15. Did Napoleon meet any other reverses ? 



SECTION XII. 

1. (A. D. 1813.) The operations of the allied armies in 
the south-eastern provinces of Spain were singularly ill- 
conducted. Sir John Murray, to whose guidance they 
were intrusted, proved totally unfit for his situation. He 
precipitately commenced the siege of Tarragona, and then 
abandoned his works and guns with still more disgraceful 
rapidity ; after which he returned to a state of inactivity. 
2. But the vigour of Wellington more than atoned for these 
deficiencies ; he crossed the Bidassoa in October, and on 
the 10th of November defeated Soult's army on the Nivelle. 
(A. D. 1814.) Winter did not interrupt the operations of 
the armies. Soult, continually pushed by the British forces, 
assumed a strong position at Orthes, from which he was 
driven with severe loss, and Bordeaux was consequently 
exposed to the invading army. In the mean time the duke 
d'Angouleme, the representative of the ancient line of French 
monarchs, had arrived in Wellington's camp ; to him the 
inhabitants of Bordeaux opened their gates, and received 
with the utmost enthusiasm the descendant of their former 
kings. 3. Wellington, pursuing his victorious career, again 
defeated Soult at Toulouse ; but while preparing to follow 
up his victory, news arrived from Paris that Napoleon had 
abdicated, and that the war was at an end. 

4. In January, 1814, the allied armies had crossed the 
Rhine, and advanced into the heart of France ; negotiations 
for peace were indeed commenced at Chatillon, but the in- 
sincerity which marked the conduct of the French commis- 
sioners prevented them from coming to any conclusion. 
Napoleon's great object was to recover Holland, which had 
achieved its independence after the battle of Leipsic, by the 
aid of England, and had recalled the stadtholder to his 
ancient dominions. The French emperor had strong hopes 



412 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

that one great victory would restore him to his former pre- 
eminence. 5. Never in his proudest and most palmy days 
did Napoleon display more energy and ability than in this 
his time of difficulty; but he had beaten his enemies into 
the art of conquering. While he was manoeuvring in their 
rear, the Prussians and Austrians made a rush on Paris, 
which fell almost without resistance. On the 6th of April, 
Bonaparte signed the instrument of abdication, and Louis 
XVIII. was recalled from exile to ascend the throne of his 
ancestors. The fallen emperor received the island of Elba 
as an independent sovereignty ; the dutchies of Parma and 
Placentia were settled on his wife and son. 

6. The return of peace was celebrated with general re- 
joicings throughout England ; and the metropolis was illu- 
minated during three successive nights. Immediately after, 
the emperor of Russia, the king of Prussia, and a numerous 
train of other distinguished foreigners came over to England, 
and met a most magnificent reception. After a short but 
gratifying visit, they returned to the continent, leaving 
behind a favourable impression of their urbanity, and of the 
respect they showed for the institutions of this country. 

7. The American war was soon after terminated ; the 
triumphs and losses on both sides were nearly balanced by- 
land, but the superiority of American courage and discipline 
at sea was made clearly manifest in every engagement, in 
which ships of equal force on both sides were opposed to 
each other. The treaty of peace was not signed before 
December, 1814. 

8. (A.D. 1815.) A congress of ambassadors from the 
leading powers of Europe had assembled at Vienna to settle 
the state of the continent, when they were astounded by- 
intelligence which threatened to render all their deliberations 
useless. Bonaparte, wearied of his exile, and invited by- 
numerous partisans in France, sailed from Elba, and having 
escaped the vigilance of the cruisers, landed once more in 
the country which had so long acknowledged his sway. 9. 
The army everywhere declared in his favour ; no effectual 
resistance was attempted ; Louis, with a few friends, escaped 
beyond the Belgian frontier ; and in an incredibly short time 
Bonaparte once more ascended the imperial throne. The 
allied sovereigns took immediate measures to dethrone an 
usurper whom experience had shown to be the common 
disturber of nations, and a violater of the faith of treaties ; 
and preparations were made for a second invasion of France, 



GEORGE III. 



413 




Battle of Waterloo. 

10. The English and Prussians began rapidly to concen- 
trate their forces in the newly formed kingdom of Belgium, 
when Bonaparte, trusting to that activity which had before 
produced so many triumphs, determined to become the as- 
sailant, and rapidly advanced against the Prussians. After 
a severe contest, Blucher was forced to retire from Ligny ; 
but he accomplished his retreat in good order, and left no 
trophy to the enemy but the field of battle. This caused a 
corresponding movement in the English forces, which had 
advanced to Quatre-bras, and fought a furious but indecisive 
battle with the enemy. Wellington halted his troops on the 
memorable plains of Waterloo, and rode across the country 
to Blucher, in order to concert a plan for their mutual 
operations. 

11. On the 18th of June was fought the memorable battle 
which may be said to have decided the fate of Europe. 
Napoleon, believing the Prussians completely broken, hoped, 
by forcing the British lines, to open a passage to Brussels, 
and then overwhelm the allies in detail : the object of the 
duke of Wellington was to maintain his ground until the 
arrival of the Prussians should give him a decided superi- 
ority over his opponents. The efforts of the French to 
force the British positions were met with most undaunted 
firmness ; the fire of an immense park of artillery, the 
charges of the cuirassiers, the attacks of immense columns, 

2 m 2 



414 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

failed to break any of the squares which the English had 
formed ; and at length, when night approached, the heads 
of the Prussian columns were seen advancing to share in 
the combat. Napoleon assembled his guards for one last 
and desperate effort ; but instead of heading them himself, 
he gave the command to marshal Ney. The English wings, 
which had rather declined from the field at the commence- 
ment of the fight, had, after the defeat of the former charges, 
gradually come forward, until they formed a concave front 
to the French. They now poured a dreadful storm of 
musketry on the heads of the advancing columns ; the im- 
perial guards were unable to deploy into line under the 
heavy fire ; they made the attempt and fell into confusion. 
At this moment the duke of Wellington gave the word to 
charge, the soldiers rushed forward with resistless impetu- 
osity ; some battalions, which Ney had rallied, were broken 
in an instant ; it was no longer a battle, but a rout. The 
Prussians, who were comparatively fresh, continued the 
pursuit, and the army of Napoleon was virtually annihilated. 

12. The victorious armies now advanced towards Paris 
without meeting any serious obstacle. On the 22d of June, 
Napoleon once more abdicated the throne, and fled to the 
sea-coast, in hopes of making his escape to America. But 
finding that it was impossible to baffle the vigilance of the 
English cruisers, he surrendered himself to captain Mait- 
land, of the Bellerophon, and was conveyed, with his retinue, 
"to an English harbour. When the allies were informed of 
this event, they decided that he should be sent as a prisoner 
to the island of St. Helena, in the southern Atlantic, and 
there detained under the strictest observation. In this little 
island the illustrious exile died on the 5th of May, 1821. 

13. Louis XVIII. was restored to his throne without op- 
position : a few of Napoleon's most zealous partisans, of 
whom the chief were marshal Ney and colonel Labedoyere, 
suffered the penalties of treason ; but the greater part of 
the delinquents escaped with impunity. The long wars 
which had distracted western and central Europe were now 
terminated, and a tranquillity, promising to be of long dura- 
tion, was established. 



Questions for Examination. 

1 . How were operations conducted in the south of Spain ? 

2. Did Wellington obtain any success in France ? 

3. Why was not the victory at Toulouse followed up ? 



GEORGE III. 415 

4. What operations were undertaken at the north-east side of France ? 

5. How was the war terminated ? 

6. In what manner was the return of peace celebrated in England ? 

7. How was the American war terminated ? 

8. By what news was the congress at Vienna disturbed ? 

9. Did Napoleon again become master of France ? 

10. How was the war recommenced ? 

11. What particulars of the battle of Waterloo are mentioned ? 

12. What became of Bonaparte ? 

13. How was the war finally ended ? 



SECTION XIII. 

1. (A.D. 1816.) It had been hoped, rather than expected, 
that the exertions made by the people in the different Euro- 
pean nations to overthrow the power of Napoleon, would 
have been rewarded by the' sovereigns conceding to them 
free constitutions. But the monarchs, terrified at the evils 
which the French revolution had produced, were firmly 
resolved to extend rather than abridge the royal authority. 
2. The restored king of Spain, whose slavish weakness 
had been the first cause of his own imprisonment and his 
kingdom's degradation, treated with the greatest ingratitude 
those whose blood had been shed like water to effect his 
restoration. The inquisition was revived, and every despotic 
custom, which made the government of Spain infamous, 
and the country miserable, were re-established in full force. 
The Spaniards, who entertained liberal opinions, and who 
had been the most zealous opponents of the French power, 
were bitterly persecuted, and either brought to the scaffold 
or driven into exile. 

3. This aspect of affairs by no means contributed to allay 
the dissatisfaction which pervaded Britain at the termination 
of the war. The channels of trade, which were only opened 
by a long course of warfare, were suddenly closed ; the 
manufacturers had no demand for their goods, the prices of 
agricultural produce were seriously diminished, and all the 
evils which attend a sudden transition from war to peace 
were felt the more sensibly on account of the tremendous 
addition which the expenditure requisite to support such un- 
paralleled exertions had made to the national debt. 

4. The marriage of the princess Charlotte of Wales, with 
Leopold, prince of Saxe-Cobourg, and that of the duke of 
Gloucester, with his cousin the princess Mary, for a time 



416 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

averted the gloom which seemed fast spreading over the 
nation ; and a brilliant victory obtained by lord Exmouth 
over the Algerines, diverted public attention from intestine 
calamities. 5. Though Algiers was defended by 1000 
pieces of cannon, it could not resist the intrepidity of Bri- 
tish seamen ; its defences were destroyed, its fleet burned 
in the harbour, and at length, to save it from total destruc- 
tion, the dey offered terms of peace. He was pardoned on 
the conditions of liberating the Christian slaves, more than a 
thousand of whom were received on board the British fleet ; 
of abolishing slavery for ever in his dominions; and making 
reparation to the powers who had been the more immediate 
objects of his barbarous aggressions. 

6. (A.D. 1817.) But even naval glory, always the most^ 
pleasing to Englishmen, failed to allay the discontents that 
pervaded the lower ranks of society ; alarming riots oc- 
curred in many parts of the kingdom, and meetings were 
held in the metropolis, where the most threatening discourses 
were pronounced. The parliament in this crisis passed 
laws to increase the powers of government, especially the 
suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, and several of the 
popular leaders were arrested. Some were brought to trial 
in London, and acquitted ; but in Derby several were found 
guilty, and suffered the penalties of high-treason, which had 
not been inflicted for seventy years before. These vigorous 
measures, followed by a revival of commerce, and an im- 
proved harvest, restored public tranquillity ; but the gloom 
which hung over the nation was not dispelled, and a new 
event served to deepen it still further. 7. The princess 
Charlotte of Wales, the pride and darling of England, was 
delivered of a still-born child, whose birth she survived only 
a few hours. Never was grief more universal — never was 
a nation's sorrow so deeply felt, and so generally manifested. 
The day of the funeral was voluntarily observed as a day 
of fasting and humiliation throughout the three kingdoms ; 
and a stranger, witnessing the affliction on every counte- 
nance, might have supposed that every family in the realms 
had been deprived of one of its most beloved members. 

8. (A.D. 1818.) To supply the chasm which this lamen- 
table event had occasioned in the succession to the crown, 
several of the royal family formed matrimonial alliances. 
The dukes of Cambridge, Kent, and Clarence, and the prin- 
cess Elizabeth were united to branches of different princely 
families in Germany, and such an increase was made in 



GEORGE III. 417 

their revenues by parliament as might enable them to sup- 
port the additional expenses which they necessarily incurred. 
These arrangements had not been long concluded, when 
the royal family suffered a second loss by the death of queen 
Charlotte, who expired at Kew, on the 17th of November, 
in the seventy-fifth year of her age. 

9. (A.D. 1819.) The extensive colonies which Spain 
had recently possessed in South America, wearied by the 
tyranny to which they had been subjected, threw off the 
yoke, and commenced a successful struggle for indepen- 
dence. The king of Spain, however, imagined that their 
subjugation was still possible, and assembled an army at 
Cadiz, in the isle of Leon, to form an expedition against 
the revolted provinces. But the soldiers who had been thus 
collected to crush the rising freedom of America, disap- 
pointed the hopes of their despotic sovereign. 10. * They 
unanimously refused to embark ; and directing their attention 
to the miserable condition of their own country, they demand- 
ed the establishment of a free constitution, which Ferdinand 
was compelled to concede. Similar revolutions subsequently 
took place in Portugal, Naples, and Piedmont; but in the 
two latter countries the old despotic governments were 
restored by the Austrians, who have ever been strongly 
opposed to liberal institutions. 

11. The public mind in England continued to be agitated 
by projects for effecting reform in parliament, and other 
changes in the constitution. Public meetings, attended by 
immense multitudes, were held in different parts of the 
country. One in particular, at Manchester, was attended 
with lamentable consequences. The magistrates having 
determined to arrest the leaders, especially Mr. Hunt, sent 
a party of yeomanry to aid the officers of police ; unfortu- 
nately, in passing through the immense assembly, some 
confusion took place, which led to a serious affray ; several 
of the multitude were killed, and a still greater number 
wounded by the sabres of the yeomanry, or severely crushed. 
Hunt and his friends were taken into custody on a charge 
of high-treason ; but this was soon abandoned, and they 
were ordered to find bail on a charge of sedition. 12. This 
event produced great diversity of opinion, and very angry 
debates within and without the walls of parliament; but the 
sentiments of government were expressed unequivocally in 

* These events did not take place until the following year ; but are placed 
here to preserve the continuity of the narrative. 



418 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 

a letter of thanks addressed to the magistrates and yeomanry 
of Manchester, for their prompt and spirited conduct. At 
the following assizes. the grand jury threw out the bills 
charging the yeomanry with murder ; but Hunt and his 
associates, being found guilty of sedition, were sentenced to 
different periods of imprisonment. Sir Francis Burdett 
also, who had denounced the conduct of the magistrates and 
the ministry in very severe terms, in a letter addressed to 
his constituents, was brought to trial, and found guilty of a 
libel on his majesty's government. Finally, parliament was 
assembled in the end of the year, and six restrictive acts 
passed for the prevention of seditious meetings, for prohi- 
biting training, and arming, for checking blasphemous and 
seditious writings, and to impose a tax on cheap periodical 
publications. 

13. (A. D. 1820.) On the 23d of January, his royal 
highness the duke of Kent died at Sidmouth, in the 53d 
year of his age, leaving behind him an only daughter, 
the princess Victoria Augusta, now the presumptive inheritor 
of the British throne. On the 29th of the same month, 
George III. died at Windsor Castle, at the advanced age 
of eighty-one, after a reign of fifty-nine years seven months 
and three days ; the longest and most memorable in the an- 
nals of England. We are still too near the times in which 
this event occurred, and too much swayed by the opinions 
and prejudices resulting from personal feelings, to draw an 
impartial character of this venerable sovereign. But what- 
ever diversity of opinion there may be respecting the politics 
of the monarch, none can deny the virtues of the man ; 
amiable, merciful, benevolent, he was an affectionate hus- 
band, a tender father, and a faithful friend ; no prouder 
epitaph needs to be inscribed upon his tomb. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. In what manner were the hopes of the people of Europe disappointed ? 

2. How did the restored king of Spain behave ? 

3. What was the state of England after the war ? 

4. By what circumstances were the hopes of the nation raised? 

5. What victory was obtained at Algiers ? 

6. How did government endeavour to check the progress of sedition ? 

7. What fatal event filled the nation with sadness? 

8. Did any other remarkable circumstances occur in the royal family ? 

9. What colonies revolted against the parent state ? 

10. How was a constitution established in Spain ? 

11. What unfortunate circumstance took place at Manchester? 

12. What were the consequences of this event? 

13. What deaths took place in the royal family? 



GEORGE IV. 



419 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 



Popes. A.D. 

Clement XIV 1769 

Pius VI 1775 

Pius VII 1800 

Emperors of Germany. 

Joseph II 1765 

Leopold 1790 

Francis II 1792 

Assumed the title 
of emperor of 
Austria 1804 

Emperors of the Turks. 

Mustapha III 1757 

Achmet IV 1774 

Selimlll 1789 

Mahmoud II 1808 

Emperors and Empresses 
of Russia. 

Peter III 1762 

Catharine II 1763 



Paul 1 1797 

Alexander 1801 

Sovereigns of France. 

Louis XVI 1774 

Republic 1793 

Napoleon consul.. 1799 

emperor 1804 

Louis XVIII 1814 

Kings of Spain. 

Charles III 1759 

Charles IV 1788 

Ferdinand VII.... 1808 

Queen and King of 
Portugal. 

Maria 1777 

John VI 

Kings of Prussia. 
Frederick II 1740 



Frederick III 1786 

Frederick IV 1797 

Kings of Poland 

Stanislaus 1786 

Augustus IV 1786 

Divided between 
Russia, Prus- 
sia, and Ger- 
many 1793 

Kings of Denmark. 

Christian VII 1756 

Frederick VI 1808 

Kings of Sweden. 

GustavusIII 1772 

GustavusIV 1792 

Charles XIII 1809 

Charles XIV 1818 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



GEORGE IV. 
Born 1762. Died 1830. Began to reign 1820. Reigned 10 years. 

SECTION I. 

1. (A.. D. 1820.) The accession of a monarch, who had 
been actually in the possession of sovereign power for so 
many previous years, produced no important political 
changes. George IV. was publicly proclaimed on the 
31st of January in London and Westminster, and matters 
went on for some time in their ordinary course. On the 
23d of February, the metropolis was astounded by intelli- 
gence of a plot being discovered for the assassination of 
his majesty's ministers. 2. The Cato street conspiracy, 
as it was called, from the little street near the Edgeware- 
road, where the conspirators used to assemble, was planned 
by Thistlewood, who had been before acquitted on a charge 
of treason, and some other men of desperate fortunes. 
Their design was to obtain, on some pretence, admission to 



420 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

lord Harrowby's, when the ministers were assembled at a 
cabinet dinner, and there murder the entire party. 3. But 
all their plans were betrayed to government by a spy, and a 
strong body of police, accompanied by a detachment of the 
guards, burst into their rendezvous at the moment that they 
were preparing for the execution of their designs. After 
some resistance, in which Smithers, a police officer, was 
killed, they were overpowered, and the greater part made 
prisoners ; Thistlewood made his escape, but was subse- 
quently taken at a house in Moorfields. Such was the 
poverty and misery of these wretched madmen, who pro- 
posed to subvert a powerful government, that when they 
were searched, not even a shilling was found among the 
whote party. They were soon after brought to trial : This- 
tlewood and four others were executed, some more trans- 
ported, and government, satisfied with these examples, gave 
up the prosecution against the rest. 4. Preparations were 
now commenced for the coronation of his majesty, when 
they were suddenly suspended by an event which excited 
more public interest and more angry feelings than any other 
that had occurred for a long period. This was the return 
of queen Caroline to England, and her subsequent trial be- 
fore the house of lords — matters over which the historian 
would willingly cast a veil, but which are far too important 
to be omitted. 

5. We ha* r e already mentioned the formal separation be- 
tween the prince of Wales and his consort, soon after their 
marriage ; some years after, her conduct was made the sub- 
ject of a secret investigation, which, after a long and dis- 
gusting inquiry, terminated in her acquittal. After being 
subject to such an indignity, the unfortunate princess quitted 
England, and spent her time in travelling, especially in 
visiting the most celebrated spots on the coasts of the Me- 
diterranean. She visited Jerusalem, and several other 
towns of Palestine, and afterwards took up her residence in 
that part of Italy which is subject to the Austrian emperor. 
Reports very injurious to her character began to be circulated, 
and a secret commission of eminent lawyers was sent out 
to Milan to investigate their truth. 

6. On the king's accession to the throne, the evidence 
collected by the Milan commission was made the pretext 
for omitting the queen's name in the liturgy ; and at the 
same time the honours due to her rank were refused by 
foreign powers. Deeply irritated at these insults, she de- 



GEORGE IV. 421 

termined to return to England, though aware that her land- 
ing would be the signal for the commencement of a rigorous 
prosecution, and though she had been offered an annuity of 
fifty thousand pounds on condition of her remaining abroad. 
7. She landed at Dover on the 5th of June, and was re- 
ceived with the greatest enthusiasm by the populace. Equal 
honours were paid to her along the road to the metropolis, 
and her reception in London was still more gratifying. 

8. On the very day of the queen's arrival in London, a 
message was sent to both houses of parliament, requesting 
that her conduct should be made the subject of investigation, 
and that the evidence collected at Milan should be taken 
into consideration. Some delay was occasioned by an use- 
less effort of the house of commons to effect a compromise : 
this having failed, " a bill of pains and penalties," to deprive 
the queen of her rights and dignities, and to divorce her 
from her husband, was introduced into the lords. 9. The 
trial soon commenced, and lasted forty-five days, after which 
the bjll was read a second time by a majority of twenty- 
eight ; but on the third reading, the ministers could only 
command a majority of nine, and the bill was therefore 
abandoned. 

10. During these proceedings, the agitation of the public 
mind knew no bounds ; cavalcade after cavalcade was seen 
proceeding out to Hammersmith, where the queen resided, 
with addresses containing the warmest expressions of affec- 
tion for herself, and hatred of her opponents ; the press 
teemed with virulent libels on all who were conspicuous in 
either party ; disunion even reached the domestic circle, and 
the question of the queen's guilt or innocence was debated 
furiously in every society and in every family within the 
British seas. The abandonment of the bill was hailed by 
the queen's friends as a complete acquittal, and their delight 
was testified by a pretty general illumination, though it 
must be confessed that many who exhibited this outward 
sign of joy were forced to the display through dread of 
popular violence. 

11. (A. D. 1821.) The heats and animosities produced 
by the queen's trial continued to rage with unabated fury 
through the remainder of the life of that unhappy lady ; it 
was even supposed that the rejection of her claim to par- 
ticipate in the coronation would have led to some serious 
commotion. But that august ceremony was performed 
without interruption; the queen, indeed, presented herself 

2N 



422 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

at the doors of Westminster Abbey, and was refused ad- 
mittance, but no serious display of popular displeasure 
followed. 12. This last event produced a fatal effect on 
her health, which had been long declining 1 ; and her death, 
which followed soon after, was generally attributed to a 
broken heart. The fatality which attended this unfortunate 
woman seemed to follow her very remains. Her funeral 
was a scene of outrage and violence. It had been intended 
that the procession should not pass through the metropolis ; 
but the populace attacked the military escort, and after some 
loss of life succeeded in forcing away the hearse ; the fu- 
neral array then passed through the city to Whitechapel, 
where the corpse was restored to the constituted authorities, 
and then allowed to pass quietly to Harwich, whence it was 
transferred to Brunswick, to repose with the ashes of her 
illustrious ancestors. 

13. Immediately after the coronation, his majesty paid 
a visit to Dublin, and was received by the Irish people 
with a burst of loyal affection such as was probably never 
before witnessed. After a short visit, he embarked at 
Kingstown in the presence of a countless multitude, who 
rent the air with acclamations, and with blessings on the 
head of the first English sovereign who had visited Ireland 
without hostile intentions. Shortly after his return, the 
king made an excursion to Hanover, the cradle of his race ; 
and after a brief stay returned to England. 

14. Great distress was experienced throughout the British 
islands by the depreciation of agricultural produce, and con- 
sequent difficulty of paying rents. In Ireland, the mutual 
discontents of the land-holders and peasantry led to several 
outrages on the part of the latter, perfectly disgraceful to a 
civilized country. By a little vigorous exertion, however, 
these violences were repressed, and comparative tranquillity 
restored. The distress of the lower classes, which indeed 
almost exceeded credibility, was relieved by a general and 
generous subscription in England, which arrested the pro- 
gress of a pestilential disease, produced by famine and 
distress. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By what event were the minds of the people disturbed at the commence- 

ment of the new reign ? 

2. What were the designs of the Cato street conspirators ? 

3. How were the plans of the conspirators defeated ? 



GEORGE IV. 423 

4. What event caused the coronation to be postponed ? 

5. How did the queen become exposed to suspicion > 

6. On what occasion were the effects of these suspicions manifested ? 

7. How was the queen received in England ? 

8. What measures were taken by the ministry ? 

9. How did the queen's trial terminate ? 

10. What effect did this lamentable occurrence produce in the country? 

11. Was the ceremony of the coronation disturbed ? 

12. Did any remarkable circumstances attend the queen's death and burial? 

13. How was the king received in Ireland ? 

14. Was any distress experienced in the country ? 



SECTION II. 

1. A time of profound peace furnishes but few incidents 
worthy of being recorded by the historian ; during such 
a period a nation is silently employed in improving its re- 
sources and repairing the injuries which had been inflicted 
by war on its finances. The unparalleled contest in which 
England had been so long engaged, imposed on her rulers a 
task of no ordinary difficulty ; the immense debt which had 
been accumulated, required a large taxation to pay its inter- 
est ; and though many exertions have been made to relieve 
the country from such pressure, no extensive reduction can 
reasonably be expected for a very long period. (1822.) 2. 
After the termination of the parliamentary session, the king 
proceeded to visit the Scottish capital, and was received by 
his northern subjects with the utmost enthusiasm. The 
festivities were, however, soon interrupted by the melancholy 
news of the death of the marquis of Londonderry, the se- 
cretary for foreign affairs, who had committed suicide in a 
fit of temporary insanity. After an interval of more than a 
month, Mr. Canning was appointed his successor, and re- 
ceived the seals of office at a time when a minister possessing 
his talents and energy was most wanting to the country. 

3. The European sovereigns had entered into a league 
to check the progress of revolution, and chose to call their 
union the holy alliance. A congress was held at Verona, 
and a resolution taken to subvert the constitution, and restore 
despotism in Spain. The duke of Wellington, on the part 
of England, refused to sanction the design, the execution of 
which was intrusted to the king of France. 4. (1823.) 
Early in the following year, the duke of Angouleme, at the 
head of a powerful army, entered Spain, and soon compelled 



424 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the constitutionalists, wholly unprepared for resistance, to 
unqualified submission. Ferdinand, restored to the exer- 
cise of despotic power, persecuted all whom he suspected 
of liberal principles with extreme severity, and revived all 
the cruel institutions by which the government of Spain 
has been so long disgraced, with even more than ordinary 
rigour. 

5. The feelings of the great majority of the English peo- 
ple were powerfully excited by this outrage on the liberties, 
of a neighbouring nation ; but the ministers had determined to 
maintain a strict neutrality, though they severely condemned 
the principles and conduct of the French government. But 
while despotism was thus re-establishing its iron reign in 
Europe, freedom had obtained signal triumphs in America ; 
the revolted colonies of Spain had now completed their 
emancipation, and their independence was acknowledged by 
England and several other European powers. 

6. A sanguinary struggle for the liberation of Greece 
ffom the Turkish yoke had commenced some time previ- 
ously, but had long produced no result but terrific massacres. 
The principal members of the holy alliance viewed the 
insurrection of the Greeks with secret dislike ; but the 
sympathies of the greater part of the people of Europe 
were awakened in their favour, and several volunteers from 
England and other countries tendered their assistance to the 
insurgents. 7. (1824.) Lord Byron, whose poetry had 
created a powerful feeling in favour of the Greeks, proceeded 
to aid them by his personal exertions, but unfortunately fell 
a victim to a fever at Missolonghi, in Western Greece. 

8. The British colonies in Africa and India were severely 
harassed by the assaults of barbarous enemies ; in the 
former, the governor, sir C. M'Carthy, was defeated, and 
cruelly murdered by the Ashantees ; but his death was sub- 
sequently avenged, and these savage warriors forced to 
submission. 9. In Hindostan, the Burmese were totally 
defeated, their strongest fortifications captured, and their 
territories placed at the mercy of the British troops ; they 
were consequently forced to solicit peace, which was granted 
on terms that tend greatly to increase the security of the 
British possessions in the East. 

10. From the time that the union between England and 
Ireland had been effected, attempts were annually made for 
the repeal of the remaining restrictive laws against the Ro- 
man catholics ; repeated failures by no means diminished 



CEORGE IV. 425 

the hopes of the catholic leaders and their friends ; and in 
Ireland they formed a permanent association for the further- 
ance of their objects. (1825.) The members of the Catholic 
Association were not always very measured in their lan- 
guage, or temperate in their attacks on government, and it 
was judged expedient to suppress meetings which seemed 
pregnant with danger. 11. A bill for extending the law in 
Ireland against illegal societies was introduced into parlia- 
ment, and as it was expected that catholic emancipation would 
immediately follow, it passed with but little opposition. 
This hope was, however, doomed to be disappointed, the 
catholic question was indeed carried in the lower house, but 
it was lost in the lords principally on account of the exertions 
made by his royal highness the duke of York. 

12. Speculations and joint-stock companies of every 
description had lately multiplied so fast, that the nation 
seemed infected with a species of insanity ; but the bubbles 
soon burst, and a terrible reaction ensued. The confusion 
of the money market, and the commercial embarrassments 
thus created, did not entirely disappear for the next two or 
three years. 

13. (A.D. 1826.) The state of Portugal, the oldest ally of 
England, began now to attract the attention of the public. 
On the death of John VI. the succession devolved on Don 
Pedro, who resided in Brazil ; he, however, satisfied with 
the imperial crown which he had acquired in South America, 
abdicated the Portuguese throne in favour of his daughter 
Donna Maria, and, to prevent any domestic commotion, 
betrothed her to his brother Don Miguel. Before taking 
this decisive step, he prepared a constitution, securing the 
blessings of civil and religious liberty to the Portuguese, 
who, unfortunately, could neither appreciate the one nor the 
other. 14. A strong party resolved to make Don Miguel 
absolute king, and under the secret sanction of the Spanish 
government, began to assemble forces on the frontiers. 
Under these circumstances, application was made to England 
for assistance ; and an expeditton was sent out with a 
promptitude that excited the admiration of Europe. To 
preserve the continuity of the narrative, we must complete 
the account of the transactions in Portugal before we again 
return to the affairs of England. 15. In September, 1827, 
Don Miguel was appointed regent by his brother, and imme- 
diately proceeded to assume the reins of power. In the 
following year, after the departure of the English troops, he 

2 n 2 



426 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

usurped the crown in defiance of the claims of his niece, 
and immediately after abrogated the constitution and pro- 
claimed himself absolute. The young queen of Portugal 
had, in the mean time, arrived in England, but finding her 
friends not sufficiently strong to overthrow the usurper, she 
returned to her father's court at Rio Janeiro. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. By what circumstances have the English ministers been long embar- 

rassed ? 

2. What event caused a change in the ministry ? 

3. For what purpose was the holy alliance formed ? 

4. How was the Spanish constitution overthrown ? 

5. What revolutions occurred in South America ? 

6. Did any European nation make a fierce struggle for freedom ? 

7. What remarkable English nobleman died while aiding the Greeks ? 

8. Did any wars take place in the British colonies ? 

9. How did the Burmese war terminate ? 

10. What remarkable circumstances occurred in Ireland ? 

11. Did parliament adopt any measure in consequence ? 

12. What pecuniary embarrassments occurred in England ? 

13. How was public attention directed to the affairs of Portugal ? 

14. In what manner did the English government behave ? 

15. What was the final termination of the struggle in Portugal ? 



SECTION III. 

1. (A.D. 1827.) Death and disease, among the great and 
noble of the land, produced some important changes in the 
councils of Great Britain. On the 5th of January, his royal 
highness the duke of York died, sincerely and generally 
lamented, more especially by the army ; for his conduct ever 
since his restoration to the office of commander-in-chief, had 
deservedly procured for him the endearing appellation of 
" the soldier's friend." 2. On the 17th of February, the 
earl of Liverpool, prime minister of England, was seized 
with a fit of apoplexy, which terminated his political exist- 
ence, though his natural life was prolonged to the close of 
the succeeding year. He was succeeded by Mr. Canning, 
whose commanding eloquence and enlightened views had 
made him almost irresistible in the house of commons. 3. 
But the additional fatigues imposed upon this highly-gifted 
statesman, and the fierce opposition he had to encounter, 
proved too much for a constitution already enfeebled by 
neglected disease ; he died on the 8th of August, in the 



GEORGE IV. 427 

fifty-eighth year of his age. 4. Mr. F. Robinson, having 
been elevated to the peerage, by the title of lord Goderich, 
was next appointed premier, but his administration was 
loose and unsettled, and the cabinet which he had formed 
soon fell to pieces. The duke of Wellington was then 
called by his majesty to preside over the councils of Britain, 
and aided by Mr. Peel, he succeeded in forming a ministry, 
promising more firmness and stability than that which it 
succeeded. 

5. The atrocities which marked the warfare between the 
Greeks and Turks were so shocking to humanity, that the 
sovereigns of Europe felt themselves bound to interfere, 
and a treaty for the pacification of Greece was signed, in 
London, on the 6th of July, 1827, by the representatives 
of England, France, and Russia. 6. In consequence of 
this, the allied fleets in the Mediterranean prepared to force 
the combatants to consent to an armistice, and blockaded 
the Turkish fleet in the harbour of Navarino. Ibrahim 
Pacha, the Turkish commander in the Morea, paying but 
little attention to the remonstrances of the allied admirals, 
the united fleets sailed into the harbour, on the 20th of Oc- 
tober, under the command of sir Edward Codrington, to 
intimidate him into submission. 7. A shot fired by a 
Turkish vessel was the signal for a general engagement, 
which lasted four hours. It terminated in the almost utter 
annihilation of the Turkish fleet, with comparatively little 
loss to the allied squadrons. The independence of Greece 
was virtually achieved by this brilliant victory, and was 
further secured by the arrival of a small military force from 
France ; the Turkish government, however, refused sub- 
mission, and war was commenced against Russia. 8. The 
events of this war, though not properly belonging to Eng- 
lish history, demand a brief notice ; in the first campaign 
the Turks made an obstinate resistance, and gained some 
advantages over their opponents ; but in the following year 
(1829), the Russian arms were everywhere successful ; the 
passages of the Balkan were forced ; Adrianople, the second 
city in the empire, was captured, and the sultan forced to 
consent to terms of peace, dictated almost at the gates of 
Constantinople. 9. The demands of Russia were, how- 
ever, less exorbitant than might have been expected under 
the circumstances, but there is reason to believe that this 
moderation was inspired by a dread of provoking the jea- 
lousy and resentment of England. 



428 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 

10. (A. D. 1828.) After the resignation of lord Goderich, 
Mr. Huskisson and some other friends of the late Mr. Can- 
ning, had joined in the duke of Wellington's administration, 
but they soon found that little harmony could exist in such 
a coalition. At length Mr. Huskisson, having voted against 
ministers, tendered his resignation, which to his great sur- 
prise and mortification was accepted, nor could all his sub- 
sequent efforts alter the inflexible spirit of the duke of Wel- 
lington. The time of the house of commons was wasted 
in the discussion of this and similar petty disputes, but one 
act of the session made an important change in the forms 
of the constitution. The test and corporation acts, which 
required the receiving of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, 
according to the rites of the church of England, as a neces- 
sary qualification for office, were repealed after a brief par- 
liamentary struggle ; and the hopes of the Roman catholics, 
for the repeal of the laws by which they were excluded 
from parliament, were greatly raised by this event. A mo- 
tion in their favour was made by sir Francis Burdett, and 
carried by a majority of six; but it terminated ineffectively, 
as a similar motion was negatived in the house of peers. 

11. The country continued to be agitated by the catholic 
question during the remainder of the year ; on the one 
hand, Brunswick clubs were formed by the advocates of 
protestant ascendency, to resist all further concession ; on 
the other side, the catholic leaders and their friends strenu- 
ously exerted themselves to render the cause of emancipa- 
tion popular. In Ireland, the agitation was so violent that 
there was reason to apprehend a civil war : the most in- 
temperate harangues were made at Brunswick meetings and 
in the Catholic Association ; it was manifest that nothing 
but promptitude and decision on the part of government 
could avert the effusion of blood. 

12. (A. D. 1829.) The commencement of the ensuing 
session of parliament was expected by all parties with the 
utmost anxiety ; and it was not without surprise, that both 
parties found catholic emancipation recommended in the 
speech from the throne. A bill to give effect to this re- 
commendation passed both houses by triumphant majorities, 
though not without encountering a vigorous opposition, and 
received the royal assent on the 13th of April. 

13. From the date of this important change in the con- 
stitution, to the close of the reign, nothing of great import- 
ance occurred in England ; but in France the dissatisfaction 



GEORGE IV. 429 

of the people with their rulers became daily more manifest. 
An expedition was undertaken against Algiers, probably 
with the hope of diverting the attention of the French peo- 
ple from politics, to what had been so long their favourite 
passion, — military glory. (A. D. 1830.) The expedition 
was eminently successful ; Algiers was captured, and the 
entire presidency subjected to the power of France : but 
the discontents of the French people continued to rage with 
as much violence as ever. 

14. The illness of the king in the commencement of the 
year 1830 threw a damp on public affairs, and as its fatal 
tendency became more apparent, speculations were rife on 
the probable political conduct of his successor. After a 
tedious sickness, which he sustained with great fortitude 
and resignation, George IV. died at Windsor Castle, on the 
25th of June. The reasons already assigned for omitting 
a sketch of the character of George III. are in the present 
instance still more forcibly applicable ; we shall only say 
of him as a distinguished writer has said of Henry IV. of 
France, 

Oh ! be his failings covered by his tomb, 
And guardian laurels o'er his ashes bloom. 

Questions for Examination. 

1. What death occurred in the royal family ? 

2. By what circumstance was Mr. Canning placed at the head of the mi- 

nistry ? 

3. What is supposed to have caused Mr. Canning's death ? 

4. What changes took place in consequence of Mr. Canning's death ? 

5. In what manner did the European sovereigns endeavour to effect the 

pacification of Greece ? 

6. What caused the battle of Navarino ? 

7. What were the consequences of the battle? 

8. How did the Russian war with Turkey terminate? 

9. Why was Russia moderate in her demands? 

10. What remarkable circumstance occurred in the parliamentary session 

of 1828? 

1 1 . Was the British nation disturbed by the agitation of any important question? 

12. How was the catholic question finally settled ? 

13. Did the French government engage in any important expedition ? 

14. When did George IV. die? 



CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS. 

King of Hanover a.d. 



Popes. A.D. 

LeoXn 1823 

Emperor of Austria. 
Francis II 1792 

King of Bavaria, 
Louis Charles Au- King of France. 
guatus 1825 Charles X 1824 



King and Electorate of 

Bohemia. a.d. 

Francis n 1792 

King of Denmark. 
Frederic VI 1808 



George IV. king of 
Great Britain. 

King of Naples and 
Sicily. 
Ferdinand IV. rest. 1824 
Francis Janiver 
Joseph 1825 



430 



HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 



King of the Netherlands. 

a.d 

William 1 1813 



King of Poland. 
Nicholas I. see Russia. 



ueen of Portugal. 
Donna Maria da 
Gloria 1826 



King of Prussia, a.d. 
Frederic IV 1797 

Emperor of Russia. 
Nicholas 1 1825 

King of Sardinia. 
Charles Felix 1821 

King of Saxon y. 
Anthony Clement. "1827 



King of Spain, a.d. 
Ferdinand VII... 1808 
King of Sweden and 
Norway. 

Charles XIV 1818 

Grand Seignior of 

Turkey. 

Mahmoudll 1808 

King of Wirtemberg. 
Frederic William. 1816 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 



WILLIAM IV. 



Born 1765. Long live the king. Began to reign 1830. May his reign be 
prosperous. 



The accession of his royal highness, the duke of Cla- 
rence, was hailed by the nation with indescribable enthu- 
siasm, and the popular manners of William IV. and his 
consort, queen Adelaide, served greatly to strengthen and 
deepen those feelings of delight and de\ r oted attachment. 
The king was proclaimed in London and Westminster amid 
the acclamations of a greater multitude than had been ever 
assembled on a similar occasion ; and every subsequent 
action of his life has shown that the love thus manifested 
by the people was richly deserved by the sovereign. 

To the mutual confidence and affection thus manifested 
by the king and people of England, France exhibited a 
dark and powerful contrast. The chamber of deputies 
having been dissolved for their hostility to the royalist 
ministry, orders were issued for a new election, and a se- 
cond set of members, still more hostile than the first, was 
returned. Irritated, and perhaps alarmed, at these symp- 
toms of national distrust, Charles X., in an evil hour, issued 
three ordinances — for the dissolution of the chamber, even 
before it had assembled ; for the disfranchisement of a large 
portion of the electors ; and for further restrictions on the 
liberty of the press. The Parisians took up arms, and after 
three days of severe contest, made themselves masters of 
the capital. The rest of the French nation imitating the 
example, Charles was forced to abdicate ; he retired to 
England, and his cousin, the duke of Orleans, was raised 



WILLIAM IV. 431 

to the throne, under the title of Louis Philip I. king of the 
French. 

At the general pacification of Europe after the overthrow 
of Napoleon, Belgium had been united to Holland, with the 
hope that the kingdom of the Netherlands, formed by their 
junction, might prove a powerful barrier against any future 
efforts of French ambition. But irreconcileable obstacles 
prevented a complete union ; the nations differed in language, 
in habits, and in religion ; they had, or supposed that they 
had, hostile interests, and their mutual jealousies soon pro- 
duced mutual hatred. Dread of foreign interference alone 
prevented the Belgians from taking up arms against their 
Dutch sovereign ; but when the revolution at Paris gave 
them a hope of French sympathy and support, they de- 
termined to make a vigorous effort, and without seeking for 
a pretext in the conduct of the monarch, they boldly pro- 
claimed their independence. A wicked and senseless riot 
at Brussels gave the signal for a civil war, which finally 
terminated in the expulsion of the Dutch dynasty, and the 
formation of a new state in Europe. The Belgic crown 
was first offered to the due de Nemours, the second son of 
the king of France ; but being refused by him, it was finally 
conferred on prince Leopold, who had resided in England 
ever since the death of the late princess Charlotte. The 
effects of these revolutions were felt throughout Europe, dis- 
turbances took place in several of the minor German states, 
the duke of Brunswick was driven from his dominions, the 
constitutional exiles made a vain attempt to revolutionize 
Spain, and the gallant Poles took up arms to free their 
country from the degrading oppression of Russia. Even 
in the new world the popular excitement was sensibly felt; 
the Brazilians rose against their emperor Don Pedro, and 
compelled him to abdicate in favour of his son. 

In England the stability of the Wellington administration 
had been greatly impaired by a combination of many and 
various causes. The concessions to the catholics had 
alienated those who had been long the most powerful and 
zealous adherents of the ministry ; the members of op- 
position, who had supported the premier on that occasion, 
were indignant at the coldness and suspicion with which 
their services had been received, and the general desire of 
the nation for some improvement in the representation, led 
the great body of the people to change their former con- 
fidence in the duke of Wellington into a jealous and dis- 



432 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

trustful watchfulness of his actions. It was hoped, we may 
almost say expected, that the ministers would have been 
prepared to gratify the general desire for reform, and the 
opening of parliament was waited for with intense anxiety ; 
but to the great astonishment both of parliament and the 
country, the duke of Wellington took the earliest opportu- 
nity of declaring, in the most unmeasured terms, his un- 
compromising hostility to every species of reform. This 
unexpected declaration created general dissatisfaction, which 
was not a little increased by a circumstance in itself of 
trifling importance, that occurred a few days after. His 
majesty had declared his intention of dining with the cor- 
poration of London on the 9th of November, when a civic 
banquet is usually given in honour of the new lord mayor, 
and great preparations were made by the citizens for the 
splendid festival. On the 8th of November, however, it 
was announced that the king's visit had been indefinitely 
postponed, and that neither the lord mayor's procession nor 
the civic feast would take place. Universal panic spread 
over the whole country ; it was supposed that nothing but 
the most positive evidence of some formidable conspiracy 
could have induced the ministers to advise his majesty 
against affording his subjects the promised gratification; but 
when it was discovered that the alarm was groundless, that 
the whole originated in a letter sent to the duke of Welling- 
ton, informing him that the mob would probably hiss or 
pelt him, a storm of anger and ridicule was raised, which 
the ministry was badly prepared to encounter. On the 
15th of November the ministerial plan of a civil list was 
referred to a select committee by a majority of twenty- 
nine ; and as this was virtually a declaration that the mi- 
nisters no longer possessed the confidence of parliament, 
their immediate resignation was the consequence. A new 
administration was immediately formed under the auspices 
of earl Grey ; the members of which were selected from 
the whig opposition, and from the small but able party 
usually called the friends of the late Mr. Canning. One 
of the most remarkable appointments was that of Mr. 
Brougham to the office of lord chancellor, which was made 
the subject of very severe animadversions by the partisans 
of the late ministry. In three hours after the appointments 
had been sanctioned by his majesty, earl Grey made a 
speech in the house of peers, in which he stated that the 
principles of his government should be economy and 



WILLIAM IV. 433 

retrenchment at home ; non-intervention with the affairs of 
other states ; and a reform in the lower house of parliament. 
These professions gave general satisfaction, and the nation 
impatiently, but not distrustfully, looked forward to their 
performance. 

Towards the end of the year some serious disturbances 
took place in the agricultural districts, and much mischief 
was done by incendiaries burning the barns and stacks of 
the farmers that used threshing-machines. Special com- 
missions were promptly issued by the government for the 
immediate trial of the rioters that had been taken into 
custody, and by a judicious mixture of firmness and 
clemency, tranquillity was finally restored. The state of 
Ireland was the source of still greater uneasiness ; the 
political dissensions in that unhappy country were revived 
in all their former fury, the distress of the peasantry, hourly 
increasing, finally terminated in the horrors of famine ; and 
a numerous party began to clamour for a repeal of the 
union, which they had been taught to consider the source 
of their misery. A generous subscription in England 
alleviated the distress of the Irish peasantry, but no 
measures were adopted to allay the dissatisfaction that pre- 
vailed in the country. 

On the first of March, 1831, lord John Russell presented 
the ministerial plan of reform to the house of commons, 
and after a protracted debate of seven nights, leave was 
given to bring in bills for the amendment of the representa- 
tion of England, Scotland, and Ireland. From the first 
hour that this important measure was proposed, it absorbed 
the whole attention of the public to the exclusion of every 
other topic. It would be inconsistent with the limits and 
nature of this work to give an account of the fierce struggle 
that now took place between the advocates and opponents 
of reform, within and without the walls of parliament ; 
we shall, therefore, merely mention a few of the most 
remarkable incidents and dates connected with the measure. 
On the 22d of March, the second reading of the English 
reform bill was carried only by a majority of one, and it 
became obvious that in the house of commons, as it then 
stood, the ministers could not stand their ground. On the 
19th of April, general Gascoyne obtained a majority of 
eight over the ministry, and on the 21st, the majority 
against the cabinet amounted to twenty-two ; and this on a 
question connected with the supplies. The ministers had 
2 O 



434 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

now only to choose between instant resignation or an 
immediate dissolution of parliament; they chose the latter; 
and on the 22d, the king proceeded to dissolve the parlia- 
ment, stating that the measure had been taken in order to 
ascertain the sense of the people respecting the proposed 
alteration in the representation. 

The result of the election was more favourable to the 
ministry than their most sanguine hopes could have anti- 
cipated. The reform bill was introduced to the new par- 
liament on the 24th of June, and on the 6th of July the 
second reading was carried by a majority of 116, after a 
debate which lasted three nights. The progress of the bill 
through the committee was singularly slow, and it was not 
until the 21st of September that it was finally passed by 
a majority of 123, and sent up to the lords. The decision 
of their lordships was waited for with the most intense 
anxiety: — it was unfavourable ; the bill was rejected by a 
majority of 41, after a long and interesting debate of four 
nights' duration. The news of this rejection produced 
serious riots in several parts of the country, but especially 
at Derby and Nottingham ; they were, however, quieted 
by the interference of the military, and when parliament 
was prorogued on the 20th, the public confidence and public 
peace seemed fully restored. Unfortunately, the disturbers 
of the public peace took advantage of the entrance of sir 
Charles Wetherell, as recorder, into Bristol, to commence 
a more serious riot, during which several public buildings 
and private houses were burned, a vast amount of property 
destroyed, and many valuable lives lost. Quiet was re- 
stored after some delay, the blame of which has been 
thrown on different parties, and several of the rioters were 
brought to trial for their offences. 

During the entire year, Poland had maintained a gallant 
struggle for independence against the gigantic power of 
Russia, but being unaided by any European power, the 
brave but unfortunate nation was finally subdued, and placed 
at the mercy of the conqueror. Greece, which had also 
excited the sympathy of the English people, presented an 
aspect little calculated to gratify the philanthropist ; for 
want of an efficient government, the unfortunate country 
became a prey to intestine commotions, and the president, 
count Capo d'Istrias, was assassinated while on his way to 
attend divine service. 

The close of the year 1831 was rendered particularly 



WILLIAM IV. 435 

gloomy by the appearance of a new pestilential disease, 
called spasmodic cholera, which, after committing fearful 
ravages in central Europe, at length appeared in England. 
It has not proved so extensively fatal in this, as in other 
countries ; but its virulence is not even yet quite exhausted. 
Parliament reassembled in December, and the reform 
bill was again introduced into the house of commons ; after 
a protracted rather than a vigorous struggle, it passed the 
lower house in March, 1832. The bill was then sent to the 
upper house, and after an animated debate, read a second 
time by a majority ; but several of the lords declared that 
they supported it only in the hope that the details would be 
materially altered in the committee. When parliament 
reassembled after the recess, the ministers were left in a 
minority on the very first night, and his majesty having 
refused to create a sufficient number of peers to turn the 
scale, earl Grey and his colleagues resigned. But the 
house of commons having at once pledged itself to the sup- 
port, of the reforming administration, and the great body of 
the people having joined in the demand for its re-establish- 
ment, the king was obliged to recall his ministers, after an 
ineffectual attempt to construct another cabinet. The ques- 
tion about the creation of peers was compromised by the 
temporary secession of the great body of the lords opposed 
to reform ; the bill consequently passed rapidly through all 
its stages, and on Thursday, the seventh of June, received 
the royal assent. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

REMARKS ON THE MANNERS AND LITERATURE OF THE AGE. 

1. The task of the modern historian is usually extended 
to something more than a mere detail of political events, 
and it is generally expected that he should close his labours 
with a general and abstract view of the arts and sciences, 
the literature, and the manners of the age which he has 
undertaken to record. 

2. In compliance with these considerations, we shall sub- 
join a few remarks on these subjects: to do which, it will 



436 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

be necessary that we look, in the first place, on the influ- 
ence which that powerful engine, the press, has on the 
manners of the age. 

3. If the press, managed as it formerly was, and dedi- 
cated almost solely to publications in a dead language, 
produced such salutary effects as a reformation in religion, 
and an improvement in life and manners, what may not be 
expected from it, now that it is acknowledged free, and 
chiefly consecrated to the living languages, and to the dis- 
cussion of the most interesting questions of constitutional 
policy and local government. 

4. America, perhaps, owes to the British press the first 
ideas of her freedom and independence ; being awakened 
by the speeches and disquisitions which it poured forth to 
a just sense of her rights and privileges, and afterwards 
copying and improving them in her own clime. 5. The 
great revolutions which have taken place on the continent 
may, in part, be traced to the same cause ; for although 
excessive taxes, and other grievances, real or imaginary, 
gave the first impulse to the machine, its different compo- 
nent parts could never have acted with vigour and effect 
without the assistance of the press. — 6. The flame thus 
kindled seems catching, and to be pervading, the rest of 
Europe ; for the deliberations and debates even of the 
Germanic diet are subjected to public inspection and dis- 
cussion. 7. Let us then hope, that as the sun of know- 
ledge diffuses its rays farther and farther over Europe, its 
different states, like the different districts of the same 
community, will feel the propriety of living in peace and 
friendship, and exchange war and depredation for commerce 
and mutual accommodation. May this simple wish of phi- 
lanthropy one day be realized through the means of the 
press ! 

8. To the efforts of literary men the present age is 
under unspeakable obligations. It is to them we are really 
indebted for whatever is enviable in our civil state. They 
have taught both princes and the people to know them- 
selves ; they have defined the functions of the former, and 
made known to the latter what are the rights and privileges 
of men. 9. It is only by perusing the records of history 
for a few ages back, and by comparing the former state of 
mankind with the present, and particularly in this country, 
that the merits of literature and science can be properly 
estimated. 



POLITICS, LITERATURE, &C. OF THE AGE. 437 

10. In speaking of the literature of the age, we cannot too 
strongly deprecate that destructive system, which has a 
tendency to degrade the female understanding ; which 
regards that sex like the Grecian slaves, or the devoted 
beauties of Circassia, as created solely to gratify the ex- 
ternal senses ; and which cultivates, with persevering 
assiduity, those accomplishments only that are calculated 
to excite sensual passions and emotions, and which, we 
fear, has contributed too fatally to the depravation of man- 
ners among the higher classes of society. 11. We are 
not advocates for a rigorous course of scholastic discipline, 
but we feel that we are discharging an honest duty to the 
public, in maintaining that the acquisition of solid learning 
is not only consistent with female accomplishments and 
domestic virtues, but the chief promoter of every rational 
enjoyment. 12. Let those who would dispute this asser- 
tion, contrast the manners of the present age with those 
when women of rank and fortune studied Plato; and 
when the throne of England was occupied by a female 
equally versed in ancient and in modern literature, and 
who wrote the Roman language with a degree of elegance 
and purity scarcely equalled by the first scholars of latter 
times. 13. That was the epoch of England's glory, and yet 
the fair sun of science had then scarcely burst from the 
clouds of darkness in which it had been shrouded by 
bigotry and superstition ! 

14. But notwithstanding the foregoing animadversions 
on the errors of the age, and the inattention manifested by 
many to the solid acquirements of useful knowledge, we 
are still most happy to have to remark, that the arts and 
sciences, and literature in general, during the reign of his 
late majesty, have made extraordinary progress, and merit 
no slight degree of praise and admiration. 

15. Our limits, however, prevent us from entering at 
much length on the subject ; and we shall, therefore, close 
these remarks by giving a brief sketch of the arts and 
sciences, and general literature, that have distinguished the 
memorable period to which we have just alluded. This we 
shall do, for the sake of distinctness and brevity, in alpha- 
betical order, under respective heads ; beginning with — 

16. Agriculture. — The method of cultivating the earth, 
and improving the growth of its productions, had excited 
little interest prior to the reign of George the Third, who, 
being particularly attached to rural pleasures and agricul- 

2o2 



438 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

tural pursuits, rendered this valuable science fashionable; 
and under his immediate auspices arose that excellent 
national institution, the Board of Agriculture. Thus 
countenanced and supported, men of talent made the cul- 
ture of the soil their peculiar study, and disseminated their 
discoveries and inventions through the medium of the 
press. 17. In this laudable pursuit, Mr. Arthur Young's 
name stands peculiarly conspicuous ; and many other gen- 
tlemen have since contributed a fund of practical agricultural 
knowledge, through the same medium. The natural con- 
sequence has been, that our native soil has been improved, 
our crops rendered more abundant, and the fruits of the 
earth have acquired a superior degree of excellence, while 
the implements of industry have been simplified, and the 
profound investigations of theory have been adopted, with 
great success, by the most zealous and enlightened agri- 
culturists. 

18. Architecture. — Although there is no architect of 
the present day who could dispute the palm of excellence 
with sir Christopher Wren (who was justly honoured with 
the title of the British Palladio,*) yet no one who has seen 
the metropolis, can view with indifference the magnificent 
structures that have raised their stately heads in London and 
its environs during the two last reigns. 19. Among the 
most celebrated architects, whose taste and genius have em- 
bellished the British capital, we may mention the names of 
sir William Chambers, and Messrs. Soane, Smirke, Nash, 
and Rennie, the latter of whom, in the completion of Wa- 
terloo bridge, has exhibited to the world a lasting monu- 
ment of his own skill, and the public spirit of the times. 

20. Astronomy. — This noble science has, during the 
reign of George III., been enriched with improvements 
unknown to the illustrious Newton ; and by the indefatigable 
researches of Dr. Herschell, new planets have been disco- 
vered. By him the Georgium Sidus was first observed ; 
and it was so denominated to perpetuate the name of 
George the Third. 21. Many idle theories have been 
advanced in opposition to the Newtonian system, which, 
however, has gained additional confirmation whenever a 

* Andrea Palladio, a famous Italian architect, was born at Vicenza, in 
1518, and to him is principally attributed the classic taste which reigns in so 
many of the buildings of Italy. His memory is highly honoured by the vo- 
taries of the fine arts, and the dignified simplicity and purity of his taste have 
given him the appellation of the Raphael of architects. 



POLITICS, LITERATURE, &C. OF THE AGE. 439 

discussion of its merits has been fairly entered into, and it 
at present stands unrivalled, as the loftiest . monument of 
the superior powers of the human intellect. 22. Yet this 
system, so full of truth and grandeur, was once attacked 
with the greatest virulence, and even the learned and pious 
bishop Home designated it as an infidel system. The veil 
of ignorance and prejudice has, however, been happily re- 
moved, and we may now behold the light of philosophy in 
all its splendour. 

23. Botany. — Since the celebrated Linnaeus arranged, 
classed, and systematized the vegetable world, many other 
men of genius have by their labours contributed much to 
promote the study of this elegant science. Among such we 
reckon Dr. Darwin, Professor Martyn, and Dr. Thornton. 
24. But a knowledge of botany has not been confined 
to professors and members of the Linneean society ; the 
patronage and attention it received from our late amiable 
princess Charlotte, as well as the princess Elizabeth, and 
other distinguished females in this kingdom, rendered bo- 
tanical studies fashionable, and paved the way for a more 
general diffusion of so valuable and entertaining a science 
among other classes of the community. 

25. Chemistry. — In this enlightened period, men of the 
most eminent abilities have directed their attention to chemi- 
cal knowledge, and no branch of natural philosophy has 
been cultivated with more persevering emulation. We shall 
not attempt, in this brief notice, to enumerate the names 
even of all who, in the present age, seem to have exhausted 
the powers of the mind in the immense fund of experimen- 
tal knowledge which they have displayed. 26. At the head 
of these is Priestley ; and though it may seem almost invi- 
dious to exclude any who have enriched this important 
science with their labours, our limits prevent us from doing 
justice to them. Such men, however, as Dr. Watson, the 
late bishop of LlandafT, and sir Humphry Davy, must not 
pass unnoticed ; nor ought we to omit the names of Accum 
or Parke. 

27. Education. — On the subject of education we scarcely 
have words to express our admiration of the wonderful im- 
provements which have been made in teaching the element- 
ary principles of science during the two last reigns. 28. 
When we reflect on the great advantages which the rising 
generation possess (particularly of the lower order), from 
the extraordinary efforts that have been made to give them 



440 HTSTORY OF ENGLAND. 

the benefit of scholastic education, the gratifying idea pre- 
sents itself to the view of the philanthropist, that thousands 
of our fellow-beings, who, from their inferior situations in 
life, would be exposed to all the temptations of vice, and, 
perhaps, rendered pests to society, may now become patterns 
of virtue, and ornaments of their country. 29. If we turn 
our eye to the middle and higher classes of society, we shall 
find that a spirit of inquiry exists, and a thirst after know- 
ledge, and we also find that the important task of educating 
the infant mind, " of teaching the young idea how to shoot," 
is not, at this enlightened period, intrusted to the ignorant 
pedant; but that men of talent and laudable industry preside 
over our most extensive scholastic establishments. 

30. If the senate of Rome thought fit to decree a civic 
crown to him who saved the life of one fellow-citizen, what 
honours are due to him whose life is spent in the arduous 
task of laying the foundation of knowledge, virtue, and 
patriotism, in the minds of youth ? — It would be impos- 
sible to do individual justice to the numerous encouragers 
of learning in the present day ; and it might be considered 
illiberal in the editor of this work to recommend the system 
he has adopted, as more particularly calculated than another 
to effect the desirable object of a liberal education. 

31. Literature. — To speak of the general literature of 
the age at any length, would be inconsistent with the brevity 
at which we aim, and, in fact, would be irrelevant to the 
plan on which our remarks on the various sciences are 
formed. 32. That literature has received a degree of na- 
tional encouragement unknown in former times, is unques- 
tionable : and it is equally certain, that George the Third 
was ever its liberal patron ; nor has his patronage been 
bestowed in vain ; it has given rise to emulation, and the 
spirit of emulation has led to the production of some of the 
most valuable works that ever embellished the annals of this 
or any other country, ancient or modern. 

33. The names of Johnson, Gibbon, Hume, Robertson, 
Smollet, Goldsmith, Wraxall, Moore, Brooke, Paley, Lowth, 
Porteus, Douglas, Law, Adam Smith, Priestley, Price, 
Bruce, Hunter, Bell, Bryant, Clara Reeve, Charlotte Smith, 
Montague, &c. &c. will be venerated by future ages. 

34. Literary journals and reviews have also met with 
unprecedented encouragement during the two last reigns, 
and men of the highest rank and literary attainments have 
not disdained to become their conductors, or, at least, their 



POLITICS, LITERATURE, &C. OF THE AGE. 441 

avowed contributors. A liberal and enlightened reviewer is 
certainly an ornament and a blessing to the republic of 
letters ; but we too often find that the pen of the reviewer 
is guided by political or theological prejudice, and, in the 
hand of an ungenerous critic, is calculated to do much 
serious injury to that cause which it ought to cherish and 
protect. 

35. Medicine. — During the period we are speaking of, 
medical science has arrived at the very acme of perfection. 
That loathsome and fatal disorder, the small-pox, has been 
nearly annihilated by Dr. Jenner's discovery of vaccination ; 
and every department of medicine and surgery has been 
benefited by the labours of many eminent practitioners. 
Among numerous others we recognise the names of Aber- 
nethy, Bell, Baillie, Cheselden, Cooper, Cullen, Duncan, 
Heberden, Lettsom, Morris, Mosely, Sims, &c. 

36. Music. — Though music may not claim a place among 
the useful arts, yet its powers are too well appreciated by 
the ear of taste, to suffer it to be neglected in polished so- 
ciety. Who can listen to the sublime compositions of 
Handel without emotion, or fail to be delighted with the 
vocal powers of a Braham, or the dulcet warblings of a 
Paton or a Stephens ? 

37. The liberality, or, to use a term more consonant to 
British feelings, the foolish extravagance of the present age, 
not content with patronizing native talent, has inundated the 
country with a host of foreigners, whose scientific cadenzas 
we consider as by far too dearly purchased, when we reflect 
on the licentious manners which are thus imported from 
Italy and France, and which have already done much to de- 
stroy the modest virtues of the British fair. 

38. In this slight sketch of the musical talents of the 
present age, it would appear invidious to notice the names 
of any, where so many may be found who have acquired 
just celebrity, and contributed so much to the refined amuse- 
ment of the public. But we must not omit to pay a just 
tribute to the founders and promoters of the Royal Musical 
Academy, which, under the direct patronage of the king, 
and intrusted to the care of the first musical geniusses that 
the country can boast of, bids fair to exalt the national 
character, and to render England independent of foreign aid 
in the cultivation of this accomplished, elegant, and rational 
science. 

39. Painting. — This accomplished art has received not 



442 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

only the direct patronage of George III. and IV. in the 
establishment of the Royal Academy, but that of many 
noblemen and gentlemen of opulence, among whom are the 
marquis of Stafford, the late sir Francis Baring, Mr. Anger- 
stein, &c. &c. 40. In consequence of their liberality, and 
the encouragement that the fine arts have received from the 
public in general, a glorious spirit of emulation has arisen 
among the professors of the art of painting, and it has been 
revived with an ardour superior to that of any era in ancient 
history. 

41. Sir Joshua Reynolds introduced a style of elegance 
and beauty in portrait painting, which has been successfully 
followed by sir Thomas Lawrence (the late president of 
the Royal Academy), sir William Beechey, Romney, Shee, 
Opie, Hoppner, and many others. 42. In landscape, 
Gainsborough emulated Claude Lorraine, and the pencil of 
Loutherbourgh has displayed the most enchanting scenery. 
Mr. West, late president of the Royal Academy, has pro- 
duced some of the grandest pieces that ever were submitted 
to the public (Death on the Pale Horse, Christ rejected, 
&c.) ; and his labours have been eminently rewarded. 43. 
The bold imagination and brilliant talents of Barry, the 
supernatural figures of Fuseli, and the charming paintings 
of Wilkie, equally astonish and delight the spectator, while 
Moreland has immortalized his name by the closest imita- 
tions of nature in depicting rural scenery. In short, every 
department of the art has received an accession of talent, 
and the British school at the present moment stands unri- 
valled. 

44. Poetry. — This divine art has been cultivated with 
singular success during the late reigns, and the powers of 
the muse have, in some instances, been pre-eminently dis- 
played. Among poets of the first rank, we discover the 
names of Byron, Beattie, Boscawen, Bowles, Cowper, Cum- 
berland, Churchill, Coleridge, Goldsmith, Hayley, Hurdis, 
Jerningham, Lloyd, Lamb, Mason, Moore, Pratt, Penrose, 
Pennie, Shenstone, Southey, Walter Scott, John Scott, 
Tighe, Warton, Whitehead, Wordsworth, &c. 45. Nor 
must we forget to enumerate the following females, who 
have evinced poetic talents of a very superior kind, viz. 
Mrs. Barbauld, Mrs. Cowley, Miss Seward, Mrs. Charlotte 
Smith, Mrs. Robinson, and Mrs. Hemans. 46. Under 
the head of poetry, we may properly notice the state of 
the drama : but here, with very few exceptions, we shall 



POLITICS, LITERATURE, &C. OF THE AGE. 443 

find little room for panegyric. It is true, that the talents 
of Coleman, Cumberland, Home, Morton, Sheridan, and 
Knowles, have been well employed in dramatic works; but 
many miserable productions have been foisted on the public ; 
and a vicious taste, calculated to degrade the drama, has 
been indulged in theatrical amusements. 47. Genuine wit 
and humour have been almost banished, while their place is 
usurped by the ridiculous puns and false sentiment of the 
German school ; and stories of spectres, blood-red knights, 
and haunted towers, have been dramatized and exhibited on 
the British stage. 

48. Sculpture. — Under the auspices of the late sove- 
reigns, the art of sculpture has attained a high degree of 
perfection ; and the inimitable productions of Bacon, Bubb, 
Chantrey, Flaxman, and Westmacott, prove that England 
is not deficient in that superlative art, which so pre-eminently 
distinguished the classic ages. 

49. Theology. — Although public attention has been di- 
rected to the arts and sciences in a very superior degree, as 
the foregoing remarks abundantly show, the important study 
of divinity has not been neglected ; nor have examples 
been wanting of dignitaries of the church sedulously em- 
ploying their time in disseminating moral and religious 
truths. 50. The writings of bishops Horseley, Home, 
Lowth, Law, Newton, Hurd, Porteus, Tomline, Hunting- 
ford, Burgess, and Barrington, Dr. Rennell, VicesimusKnox, 
Sumner, and many other eminent divines, reflect glory upon 
the age and country in which they lived. 

51. We now conclude this chapter by observing, that as 
occasion calls for future editions of this improved work, we 
shall continue the History of England up to the period of 
each edition ; by which means a full, complete, and authentic 
history of our own times will be in constant circulation. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. What is generally expected of the modern historian ? 

2. Does not the freedom of the press hold out an encouraging prospect 

4. What country was awakened to a sense of its own importance through 

this medium ? 

5. May not the same cause have operated on the continent ? 

7. What may not result from this diffusion of knowledge ? 

8. In what way have literary men benefited the community ? 

9. How are the merits of literature to be properly estimated ? 

10. What system of female education tends to degrade the understanding? 

11. What advantages are to be derived from the acquisition of solid learning ? 

12. What illustrious female is here alluded to ? 



444 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

14. During whose reign have the arts and sciences made an extraordinary 
progress ? 

16. To whose immediate auspices are we most indebted for the improved 

state of agriculture ? 

17. What benefits have resulted from the united efforts of eminent practical 

agriculturists ? 

18. Who wasPalladio? 

19. Name the most celebrated architects of the present day. 

20. Who discovered the Georgium Sidus ? and why was it so called ? 

22. What bishop designated the Newtonian as an " infidel system ?" 

23. Whose names stand foremost in botanical science ? 

24. What illustrious ladies patronized it ? 

25. Has not the study of chemistry been much persevered in during the late 

reign ? 

26. Who have principally promoted it ? 

28. To what class of the community have the benefits of scholastic education 

been particularly extended ? 

29. To whom is the important task of education at the present day intrusted ? 
What reward was given to him who saved the life of a Roman citizen ? 

30. Has not the patronage bestowed on literature by his late majesty, pro- 

duced the most valuable results ? 

33. What authors' names will be venerated by posterity ? 

34. Repeat the observations that are offered on the character of reviewers. 

35. Who discovered the salutary effects of vaccination ? What eminent 

medical characters are here enumerated ? 

36. Whose names are mentioned as eminent vocal performers ? 

37. Why is the practice of encouraging foreign performers deprecated ? 

38. Repeat the names of the musical composers here mentioned. 

39. To whom are we indebted for the establishment of the Royal Academy 

of painters ? and who have patronized the works of deserving artists? 

41. Name the most eminent portrait painters. 

42. For what are Gainsborough and Loutherbourgh noted ? and what cele- 

brated pictures have been produced by Mr. West, a former president 
of the Royal Academy ? 

43. For what are Barry, Fuseli, Wilkie, and Moreland celebrated ? 

44. Who are named among poets of the first rank ? 

45. What ladies deserve notice for their skill in poetry ? 

46. Who are the best dramatic writers of the age ? 

47. In what way has the British stage been degraded ? 

48. What sculptors of eminence graced the late reign ? 

50. Enumerate the names of those divines whose writings reflect glory on the 
age in which they lived. 



CHAPTER XL. 

ON THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 

1. If we trace the history of the British constitution 
to its remotest origin, we shall find that it begins with 
the dominion of the Saxons in England, who, having been 
accustomed to enjoy a great degree of liberty in their 
own country, retained the same spirit in their newly- 
acquired territories. It is true, that when the Romans 



BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 445 

invaded Britain, the inhabitants are represented as living 
in classes, or petty states, each of which was governed by 
its own peculiar laws and customs, under the authority 
of a chief magistrate or prince ; but the invading Saxons, 
who were zealously attached to their own laws, annihilated 
those of the vanquished Britons, and established such as 
their dispositions and customs had rendered congenial to 
their own feelings. 2. Thus, for instance, the people had 
a leader in time of war, who distributed among his follow- 
ers the conquered lands, according to their respective merits. 
In the course of time these leaders assumed the title of 
kings over the districts they had conquered; and those 
persons who had been favoured with the donations of lands, 
formed a kind of council, whose opinions were resorted to 
on difficult occasions, or whenever the interests of the 
community seemed to stand in need of their united assist- 
ance. In this we may trace a faint resemblance of two 
branches of our present constitution — the king and the 
assembly of peers. 

3. But when the Normans, under William, subjugated 
the country, the feudal system was introduced, and every 
endeavour was used by him and his immediate successors 
to efface from the minds of the people the remembrance of 
the Saxon constitution ; and though Henry I. found it 
necessary to grant the English a charter to engage them on 
his side in excluding his elder brother Robert from the 
throne (which was renewed by Stephen, under circum- 
stances nearly similar), yet the kings were constantly add- 
ing to their power, and increasing their prerogatives ; in 
which encroachments they were generally supported by the 
terrors of papal anathemas. 

4. Uncultivated and ignorant, however, as were the 
people, they naturally grew dissatisfied ; and at length, in 
the reign of king John, their discontent was openly shown ; 
the barons assembled with their swords in their hands, 
at the head of a powerful aimy of their adherents, 
demanding and obtaining from him the great Charter of 
English liberties, which his son and successor, Henry III. 
confirmed. 

5. Commerce, which in earlier times was exceedingly 
limited, now became much more general ; the inhabitants 
of the cities and large towns were enriched by it, and they 
obtained from the sovereign the right of taxing themselves, 
thus forming a new branch of the legislature, since known 

2P 



446 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

by the appellation of the house of commons. By this 
means the real power of the sovereign was much abridged, 
as his supplies could only be raised through the consent of 
the representatives of the people. 

6. We have thus arrived at a period when the despotic 
will of the sovereign, and the barbarous license assumed 
by the nobles, no longer awed the other classes into servile 
submission, but when the common people had their pro- 
perty and liberty secured to them by known laws— when 
justice was distributed, and the government approached 
much nearer to that end for which it was originally insti- 
tuted — the equal protection of the citizens, and the well- 
being of the state. 

7. Thus it will be seen from the foregoing observations, 
that the British constitution was founded on the principles 
of national security and personal liberty. Its power was 
derived from the people ; and to make it subservient to 
their true interests, it was confided to the care of three 
estates, namely, the king, lords, and commons ; who were 
to be a mutual support and a mutual check to each other ; 
whose power is so nicely balanced that the interests of each 
is best promoted, by each confining itself to the particular 
duties that come within its proper jurisdiction. 

8. The King. — In Great Britain the supreme execu- 
tive power is vested in a single person, who has the title 
of king ; and the right of succession to the throne is, by 
the established law of the land, hereditary. When a female 
is the nearest in lineal descent to the throne, she occupies 
it with the title of queen, there being no impediment to 
the executive power being vested in a woman, who sub- 
scribes to the forms and conditions prescribed by the con- 
stitution. 

9. The king receives all the honours due to majesty, 
and is maintained in a degree of splendour consistent with 
his dignified station. As the chief magistrate of the state, 
he possesses the sole power of declaring war or making 
peace ; of appointing ambassadors to foreign courts, and 
receiving ambassadors at his own court ; of bestowing 
titles of honour ; of assembling, proroguing, and dissolving 
the parliament ; of giving his assent to such new laws as 
he apprehends will be for the good of his subjects, and 
withholding it when he believes it will be hurtful ; and 
also of executing the existing laws. 10. He is the supreme 
head of the established church, and the supreme judge in 



BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 447 

every court of law. His person is held sacred, and a sub- 
ject, for a single act of treason, not only loses his life, but 
his heirs are deprived of his estate. The king is moreover 
presumed to do no wrong, his ministers being responsible 
for every act done in his name. 

11. The power of the king, however, is limited where 
power might become tyranny, and where he might be 
capable of injuring either himself or his subjects. As he 
receives all his honour, power, and authority from the laws, 
when he ascends the throne, he binds himself by a solemn 
oath to observe the great charter of the English liberties, 
and to make the laws the rule of his conduct ; and he is 
equally bound to pay obedience to the laws, as the meanest 
subject in the realm. 12. Though the king has not the 
power of making laws, yet no law can be enacted without 
his consent ; and though the execution of them is always 
intrusted to his care, he cannot seize the property of the 
most inconsiderable person in his dominions, unless it be 
forfeited by law. Neither can he take away the liberty of 
one of his subjects, unless by some illegal act the individual 
has forfeited his right to liberty. 13. The king has a right 
to pardon ; but neither he, nor the judges to whom he 
delegates his authority, can condemn a man as criminal, 
until he is first found guilty of the crime laid to his charge, 
by a jury of twelve men, who must be his peers or equals; 
and that the judges may not be influenced by the king, or 
his ministers, to misrepresent the case to the jury, they 
have their salaries for life, and do not hold their office 
during the pleasure of the sovereign. 

14. The kingly office is not, however, deprived of any 
part of its real dignity, by having these salutary restrictions 
imposed upon it. The honour of the king results from the 
safety of his subjects, and the godlike power of diffusing 
happiness by a just observance of the laws, and in some- 
times softening the rigour of them with mercy. 15. Now 
although such limitations of power might not suit the 
arbitrary will of a despot, who wished to tyrannize over 
the lives and liberties of his subjects, yet a virtuous 
monarch, justly appreciating the equity of the British con- 
stitution, will bless the memory of those wise patriots, who 
discovered the proper medium between absolute power and 
lawless anarchy, who gave to the sovereign all that was neces- 
sary to ensure the respect and obedience of his people, while 
it deprived him of the means of infringing on their rights. 



448 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

16. The Queen. — As the king is not allowed to marry 
a subject, the queen consort must be a foreigner, but she 
becomes naturalized by her marriage. She may make 
whatever purchases she chooses, and dispose of them at 
pleasure ; and she has the power of removing any suit of 
law relative to herself into whatever court she pleases, with- 
out the usual legal formalities. 17. If the king should die, 
and the queen marry again, the honours due to her rank 
would still be paid to her, although her husband might be 
only a private gentleman. Similar honours are conferred 
on the husband of a reigning queen ; he enjoys the title of 
king at court, but is not recognised as such at law ; and 
if his queen should die, he would again sink to the same 
station he occupied before his marriage. 

18. The Princes and Princesses. — The eldest son 
of the king of England receives the titles of Prince of 
Wales,* and duke of Cornwall,! at his birth ; and should 
he die during the life of his father, these titles are generally 
given by patent to the next heir of the throne. The 
prince of Wales is always heir-apparent to the crown. 
19. Should the king die during the prince's minority, he is 
considered of age to assume the legal functions at eighteen ; 
otherwise he cannot legally act for himself until he has 
attained the age of twenty-one. During his minority he is 
maintained by his father; but when he comes of age, he is 
provided by parliament with a separate household, and an 
annual revenue befitting his exalted rank. 

20. The eldest daughter of the king is styled the 
princess royal ; but his younger children, whether male 
or female, receive no particular title, but have only the 
appellation of royal highness prefixed to their names, till 
his majesty thinks proper to bestow on them some title of 
dignity. 

21. The Nobility. — In England, there are persons dis- 
tinguished by birth, riches, and honours ; advantages which 
give them such a considerable weight in the government, 
that were they to be confounded with the multitude, they 
would have no interest in supporting liberty ; for as most 

* This title was settled by Edward I. on his eldest son, afterwards Ed- 
ward II. who was horn at Caernarvon castle soon after his father had con- 
quered the principality of Wales ; and who, to soothe and gratify the Welch, 
had promised to give them a prince by birth a Welchman. 

t The title of duke of Cornwall was first given by Edward III. to his 
eldest son, Edward the Black Prince. 






BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 449 

of the popular resolutions would be made to their preju- 
dice, the public liberty would be their slavery. 22. The 
share they are therefore allowed in the legislature is in pro- 
portion to the interest they have in the state ; and they 
form a body of nobles,* which is there considered necessary 
for the support of the monarchy. 

23. The Parliament. — The legislative power is com- 
mitted to the two houses of parliament, consisting of the 
nobles, forming the house of lords, t and the representatives 

* The peers of the realm are privileged from arrest, except for treason, 
felony, or other high crimes and misdemeanors ; the sheriff cannot search 
their houses without a warrant from the king, signed by six privy counsel- 
lors : they have a right to sit on the bench in any court of judicature, and 
are exempt from all offices of service whatever. 

t The house of lords comprises the peers of the realm, spiritual and tem- 
poral. The spiritual peers consist of the two archbishops {Canterbury and 
York), and the twenty-four bishops ; the temporal peers comprise the princes 
of the blood royal, and the whole of the hereditary English nobility, bearing 
the titles of dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons,? sixteen peers to 
represent the nobility of Scotland, and twenty-eight to represent that of 
Ireland. 

The origin and other particulars relative to the different classes of the No- 
bility. — Dukk. — This title was unknown in England till the reign of Edward 
III. who, in 1335, created his son, Edward the Black Prince, duke of Corn- 
wall (as before mentioned). 

Maticiuis. — Richard II. in 1385, conferred the title of marquis on Robert de 
Vere, earl of Oxford, by making him marquis of Dublin. Tins is supposed to 
be the origin of the title in England. 

Earl. — This is a very ancient title, having been in use among our Saxon 
ancestors. In those times it was an official dignity, having a jurisdiction over 
the place from which the title took its name. Soon after the Norman con- 
quest, we find that William created several earls, allotting to each the third 
penny arising from the pleas in their respective districts. That grant has, 
however, long since ceased, and in lieu of it the earls now receive a small 
annuity from the exchequer. 

Viscount. — The title of viscount is of much more recent date ; the first 
we read of being John Beaumont, who was created viscount Beaumont, by 
Henry VI. in the year 1349. 

Barox. — In English history we often find that the word baron used to 
denominate the whole collective body of the nobility. When, after the 
Norman conquest, the Saxon title of thane was disused, that of baron suc- 
ceeded ; and, being the lowest title among the nobles, w 7 as very generally 
applied as the term lord is now; with which, indeed.it appears to be 
synonymous. 

Dress of the Nobility, Titles bestowed by Courtesy, $c. — On all solemn occa- 
sions each class of the nobility is distinguished by wearing a peculiar dress 
and coronet ; but at other times the nobles appear in the dress of private 
gentlemen. The eldest sons of the nobility receive certain complimentary 
titles, according to the rank of their fathers ; but they have no share in the 
legislature, except they should happen to be elected (as is frequently the 
case) as representatives in the house of commons. The title conferred, by 
courtesy, on the eldest son of a duke, is that of marquis ; the eldest son of a 
marquis is in the like manner honoured with the title of earl ; arid the 
eldest son of an earl is styled viscount. The younger sons of dukes, mar- 
quises, and earls, are styled lords; and their brothers are termed honourable. 
A duke's wife is styled dutchess ; the wife of a marquis, marchioness ; of an 

2p2 



450 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

of the people, who compose the house of commons, each 
of which have separate views and interests. But the privi- 
leges enjoyed by the members of the house of lords are 
hereditary, while the individuals who form the house of 
commons enjoy their power for a limited time only, and are 
dependent on the people for the honour of representing them. 
24. The only disadvantages that can possibly arise from the 
privileges which the peers of the realm enjoy of a perpetual 
share in the administration of government, is, that they 
might be tempted to pursue their own interests to the preju- 
dice of the public ; and therefore to prevent this, where 
they might receive the greatest pecuniary advantages from 

earl, countess ; and of a baron, lady. All the daughters of the nobility, like- 
wise, receive the title of lady. 

Military Orders of Knighthood. — The first in point of dignity are the 
knights of the Garter, or St. George : the second, knights of the Bath ; and 
the third, knights of the Thistle of St. Andrew, which latter is a Scottish 
order. 

The Order of the Garter is seldom conferred on any persons but princes of 
the blood, foreign princes, and peers of the realm, though sometimes heirs- 
apparent to a peerage, and favourite ministers, are honoured with it. Ed- 
ward III. instituted this order, in 1530, and it is the oldest of any honorary 
order conferred by any European sovereign. The knights are installed in 
St. George's chapel, Windsor. The undress of this Order consists of a broad 
mazarine blue riband, worn acro.-s the coat, from the right shoulder to the 
left side ; and an embroidered garter worn below the right knee, inscribed 
with the motto, " Honi soit qui mal y pense." (Evil be to him who evil 
thinks.) The full dress is a superb mantle, a collar with St. George and the 
dragon pendant, a cap, and plume of feathers, &c. 

The Order of the Bath was first instituted by Henry IV. in 1399; it after- 
wards became extinct, and was revived by George I. for the purpose of 
being bestowed on eminent naval and military commanders. It has of late, 
however, been given to gentlemen who have been employed as ambassadors 
to foreign courts. The knights of this order are installed in Westminster 
Abbey. When in their fuii dress they wear mantles and collars of the 
order ; and their undress is a broad rose-coloured ribbon, from the right 
shoulder to the left side, and a star on the left breast. 

The Order of the Thistle, which is very ancient, had been discontinued 
till James V. of Scotland revived it in 1510. The full dress of these knights 
consists of a mantle, and a collar wiih St. Andrew on his cross pendant; in 
their undress they are distinguished by a broad green ribbon and star. 

Titles conferred on the Commonalty. — The titles bestowed on the common- 
alty of England are those of baronets, knights, and esquires. The title of 
baronet is supposed to be derived from the ancient knights bannerets ; their 
dignity is conferred by letters-patent, and descends to their eldest sons. 
When they are addressed, the word sir is prefixed to their Christian name, 
and baronet is placed after the surname. Knights, or, as they are termed in 
heraldry, knights bachelors, receive the title of sir from the -king, which is 
always prefixed to their Christian name ; but this title does not descend to 
the son. The word esquire is applied to those gentlemen of property who 
are not distinguished by any particular title. Properly speaking, only those 
persons who are styled esquires in the king's patent, and commissions to hold 
offices, are entitled to it ; but custom has rendered the appellation to all who 
live independent of business, and even to opulent merchants, artists, and 
tradesmen. «'- 



BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 451 

being corrupt, as in the case of granting supplies, or levying 
taxes, they have only the power of refusing their assent ; 
while the commons alone have that of enacting the 
statutes. 

25. But as the great, in all countries, are exposed to 
popular envy, on account of their high station, it is wisely 
ordered, that when they are charged with any public mis- 
demeanor, they have the privilege of being tried by their 
peers, as indeed the meanest subject has, who is tried by a 
jury of his neighbours. 26. The peers are, therefore, not 
to be tried by the ordinary courts of judicature, but by that 
part of the legislature of which each is a member : and in 
their decisions on the guilt or innocence of the peer charged 
with the commission of crime, they do not give their testi- 
mony upon oath, but each, laying his hand on his heart, 
simply declares his opinion on his honour. 27. Thus are 
the nobles invested with every outward mark of dignity, 
and with all the privileges necessary to maintain their rank 
with splendour; and yet are so limited, that they have not 
the power to encroach upon the rights and liberties of the 
inferior subjects. 

28. But while the privileges of the lords are preserved, 
and other wise purposes answered by their having a share 
in the legislative powers, the privileges of all inferior per- 
sons are secured, by every man's having, either in person 
or by his representatives, a share in the legislature, by 
which means no laws can be enacted or repealed without 
the consent of the representatives of the majority of the 
nation. Thus the liberties of the commons are as strongly 
secured as the royal prerogatives, or as the privileges of the 
lords. 29. The commons are the guardians of the public 
liberty : they are the deputies sent up from all parts of the 
kingdom to make such laws as shall best promote the inter- 
ests of the whole collective body. They are empowered 
to search into the conduct of the highest peer of the realm, 
and, in the name of the people, they can impeach the fa- 
vourite or minister of the king. 30. They can call the 
judges to an account for the mal-administration of their office, 
and bring all those to justice who make an ill use of their 
power. They have the sole right of originating bills for 
granting the necessary supplies for the service of govern- 
ment ; of deciding on controverted elections ; and of inquir- 
ing into, and procuring redress for, all national grievances. 

31. The house of commons consists of six hundred and 



452 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

fifty-eight members ; eighty of which are chosen to repre- 
sent the forty counties of England, fifty for the cities, three 
hundred and thirty-nine for the boroughs, two for each of 
the universities, sixteen for the Cinque Ports, twenty-four 
for Wales, forty-five for Scotland, and one hundred for 
Ireland.* 

32. The counties are represented by knights of the shire, 
who must possess an estate, in freehold or copy-hold, to the 
value of six hundred pounds per annum. They must be 
elected by persons who are proprietors of freehold land 
situate within their county, amounting to the yearly value 
of forty shillings, clear of all charges and deductions, ex- 
cept taxes and poor-rates. 33. The cities are represented 
by citizens, possessing a clear estate of three hundred pounds 
a year, who are chosen according to the charter or custom 
of the city. The boroughs are represented by burgesses, 
elected according to the particular franchises of the voters ; 
and they must also be possessed of a clear estate worth 
three hundred pounds per annum.t 

34. The British constitution thus consists of three estates, 
as before observed, each of which has separate privileges, 
each is a check upon the other, and yet each is equally de- 
pendent. 35. The first, which is the executive power, has 
the privilege of assembling, adjourning, proroguing, and 
dissolving the two legislative bodies, because they are sup- 
posed to have no will, except when they are assembled ; 
and when they are assembled, if they had the right to pro- 
rogue themselves, they might never be prorogued ; they 
might encroach on the executive power ; they might become 
despotic, and even one of these might destroy the other. 
36. But as the executive power might make an ill use of 
this privilege, by never assembling the legislature, it is ren- 
dered dependent on these bodies, by their holding the 
sinews of government, and the granting the necessary sup- 
plies only from year to year. 37. The king, indeed, has 
the power to raise what forces he pleases : but the represen- 
tatives of the people only, who grant the supplies, can de- 
termine what number he shall be enabled to pay. 

38. But while the representatives of the people have thus 

* The new reform bills will make some change in these numbers, and the 
qualifications of voters. 

t The sons of peers, and persons qualified to be knights of the shires, may 
represent cities and boroughs, if properly elected, without possessing the 
sums necessary to qualify others. 



BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 453 

the important charge of watching over the preservation of 
British liberties, trade, and property, what care ought 
every county, city, and borough, to take to choose such only 
as are qualified to fulfil this important task ; for choosing 
such, whose integrity will render them superior to the temp- 
tation of a bribe, whose wisdom is capable of managing great 
interests, and whose greatness of soul will make them think 
that they can never do too much for their country, and for 
their constituents. 39. He who parts with his vote for a lu- 
crative or selfish consideration, or is instrumental in choosing 
one whom his conscience disapproves, and who is unquali- 
fied or corrupt, — is unworthy the name of a freeman, and 
can never have the least reason to complain, if he should 
live to see his own rights and privileges destroyed by the 
subversion of this happy constitution. 



Questions for Examination. 

1. Who were the original authors of the British constitution ? 

2. In what may we trace a faint resemblance of two branches of the pre- 

sent constitution of England? 

3. Was not the liberty of the people abridged after the Norman conquest? 

4. Who demanded and obtained the great charter of English liberties ? and 

of whom ? 

5. To what new branch of the legislature did the extension of commerce 

and its attendant riches lead ? 

6. For what end was the government originally instituted ? 

7. On what principle was the British constitution founded ? 
From whom was its power derived ? and to whom confided ? 

8. In whom is the supreme executive power vested ? 

9. What power does the king possess ? 

10. What dignities are peculiar to his station ? 

11. In what respect, is the power of the king limited ? 

12. What other restrictions are there to his power ? 

13. What is observable with respect to judges and juries? 

14. Whence does the honour of the king result ? 

15. How will these limitations of power be appreciated by a virtuous 

monarch ? 

16. 17. What particulars are there which relate to the queen? 

18, 19. What titles belong to the king's eldest son? and what particulars are 
observed of him ? 

20. What titles have the other children of the king? 

21. What distinctions are common to some individuals in England ? 

22. What share have the nobles in the legislature ? 
Note. Who was the first English duke? 

When and by whom was the title of marquis first conferred ? 

From whom is the title of earl derived? 

Who created the first English viscount? 

What was the origin of the title of baron ? 

What are the titles which are bestowed by courtesy ? 

Name the different military orders of knighthood. 

On whom is the order of the Garter generally conferred ? 

Who instituted it? and what motto is inscribed on the Garter? 

By what coloured ribbon are these knights distinguished? 



454 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 

Who instituted the order of the Bath ? and who revived it ? 

What coloured ribbon do the knights of the Bath wear ? 

By whom was the order of the Thistle revived ? and by what insignia 

are the knights distinguished ? 
From what is the title of baronet supposed to be derived ? and how are 

they addressed ? 
What title is prefixed to the Christian name of a knight ? 
Who are properly entitled to affix the title of esquire to their names ? 

23. To whom is the legislative power committed ? 

In what do the privileges of the peers and members of the house of com- 
mons differ ? 

24. What disadvantages can possibly arise from these privileges of the peers ? 
How is it counteracted ? 

25. Why are the great in all countries exposed to popular envy ? 

26. How are the peers tried ? 

27. How are the rights and privileges of inferior persons secured ? 

28. Who are the commons ? and what are they empowered to do ? 

29. What other powers have they ? 

31. Of how many members does the house of commons consist ? 

Name the respective members which represent the counties, cities, bo- 
roughs, &c. 

32. What are the necessary qualifications for a county member ? 

33. By whom are the cities and boroughs represented, and how are the 

representatives qualified ? 

35. What are the privileges of the executive power? 

36. In what way is the executive rendered dependent on the two other 

bodies ? 
38. What important reflections are suggested by a consideration of the nature 
of the services which the British representatives have to perform ? 



THE END. 



WORKS 

RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY KEY & BIDDLE, 
No. 23, MINOR STREET. 

MIRIAM, OR THE POWER OF TRUTH. 

BY THE AUTHOR OF "INFLUENCE." 

This tale is professedly founded on an "anecdote, said to be a well-attested 
fact, of an American Jew converted to Christianity by the death of his only 
child, a beautiful girl, whom he had reared with no common care and affection. 
She embraced the Christian faith unknown to her father, until with her dying 
lips she confessed to hiin her apostacy from Judaism, giving him at the same 
time a Testament, with a solemn injunction to believe in Jesus of Nazareth." 

This outline is ingeniously and skilfully filled up, and a tale of deep interest 
is produced. There are many passages of deep pathos, and the argument for 
Christianity adapted to the Jews, is happily sustained. We think the pleasure 
and instruction which the book is calculated to afford, will well repay a perusal. 
— The Presbyterian. 

The style of writing in this volume is simple and beautiful, as the story is 
affecting. — Boston Traveller. 

The book has enough of fiction to enliven the fancy and gratify the curiosity 
of youth, who might not otherwise read it; while it conveys lessons of piety, 
and arguments for the man of understanding. We wish that many a lovely 
Jewess could be persuaded to read " Miriam." — The Philadelphian. 

The work altogether deserves to stand high in the class of productions to 
which it belongs. — Episcopal Recorder. 

When we see a book which bears the imprint of Key &. Biddle, we are always 
sure to see a handsome one. In this case, we can give as high praise to the 
matter as we can to the mechanical execution. 

"Influence" was one of the very best of that class of religious novels lately 
so prevalent in England ; and its gifted young author has even improved upon 
herself, in this affecting and powerful story. She has aken that touching inci- 
dent, well known through the medium of our tracts, of a Jewish maiden who, 
on her dying bed, won over her reluctant father to the religion of the Jesus he 
despised. 

It was a subject too good to be left unimproved, and in "Miriam" has been 
embalmed, one of the most beautiful and delicate religious narratives we have 
ever read. No one whose feelings and sympathies are uncorrupted, can peruse 
this touching tale, without feeling a strong interest, and that sympathy which 
will sometimes melt them into tears. Upon the publication of Miriam in Lon- 
don, it quickly ran through three editions, and we doubt not it will attain a 
co-extensive popularity here, where there is more freshness of the feelings, and 
a more deeply imbued spirit of rational piety, to appreciate the fine tone of reli- 
gious spirit which pervades it. — JV. Y. Com. Adv. 

AIDS TO MENTAL DEVELOPMENT, or Hints to Parents. 
Being- a System of Mental and Moral Instruction, exemplified in 
Conversations between a Mother and her Children, with an Address 
to Mothers. By a Lady of Philadelphia. 

A MANUAL ON THE SABBATH ; embracing- a consideration 
of its Perpetual Obligation, Change of Day, Utility and Duties. 
By John Holmes Agnew, Professor of Languages, Washington Col- 
lege, Washington, Pa. With an Introductory Essay, by Dr. Miller, 
of Princeton, N. J. 

COUNSELS FROM THE AGED TO THE YOUNG. By 

Dr. Alexander. 



WORKS REGECTTZjir PUBLISHED 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF A FUTURE STATE. By Thomas 
Dick, author of the Christian Philosopher, &c. 

TODD'S JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH 
LANGUAGE. To which is added, a copious Vocabulary of Greek, 
Latin, and Scriptural Proper Names, divided into syllables, and ac- 
cented for pronunciation. By Thomas Rees, LL.D., F.R.S.A. The 
above Dictionary will make a beautiful pocket volume, same size 
as Young Man's Own Book. 

MEMORANDA OF A RESIDENCE AT THE COURT OF 
LONDON. By Richard Rush, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister 
Plenipotentiary from the United States of America ; from 1817 to 
1825. Second edition, revised and enlarged. 

PAROCHIAL LECTURES ON THE LAW AND THE GOS- 
PEL. By Stephen H. Tyng, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's Church, 
Philadelphia. 

THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER, or the Connection of 
Science and Philosophy with Religion. By Thomas Dick. 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION, or an Illustration of the 
Moral Laws of the Universe. By Thomas Dick. 

THE IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY, by the Diffusion of 
Knowledge; or an Illustration of the advantages which would re- 
sult from a general dissemination of rational and scientific informa- 
tion among all rankt. Illustrated with engravings. By Thomas 
Dick, LL.D., author of Philosophy of a Future State, &c. 

THE PIECE BOOK, comprising Choice Specimens of Poetry 
and Eloquence, intended to be transcribed or committed to memory. 

MEMOIRS OF HORTENSE BEAUHARNAIS, DUCHESS 
OF ST. LEU AND EX-QUEEN OF HOLLAND. 

This is an interesting account of a conspicuous character. She was the 
daughter of Josephine Beauharnais, alias, or afterwards, Josephine Bonaparte, 
former wife of Napoleon of Fiance ; and she became the wife of Louis Bonaparte, 
the ex-king of Holland. Of those who have figured at large on the great theatre 
of life, at one of the most memorable eras in history, many interesting anec- 
dotes are given. We can safely recommend this work to the reading public. — 
American Sentinel. 

No one of all those distinguished personages who occupied so large a space in 
the world's eye, from their connexion with Napoleon, presents a story of deeper 
interest than the amiable and accomplished subject of those memoirs. Possess- 
ing all the grace and fascination of manner, which so eminently characterized 
her mother, the Empress Josephine, she has a strength and cultivation of intel- 
lect; an extent and variety of knowledge; and a philosophic fortitude which 
the Empress never could boast. Unhappy in her marriage, she was yet a de- 
voted wife and fond mother; and though gifted with every quality to adorn 
royalty, she willingly withdrew to the shades of private life, resigning the crown 
she had embellished without a murmur. 

Many of the details of this work will be found deeply interesting, and the notes 
are copious and instructing. The translator has faithfully preserved the spirit 
of his original. — Saturday Courier. 



BY KEY & BIDDLE. 



HARPE'S HEAD, 
A LEGEND OF KENTUCKY. 

By James Hall, Esq. author of Legends of the West, &c. &c 

It is an able production, characteristic of the writer's eminent talents, and 
abounding with narratives and sketches of absorbing interest. The history of 
Harpe forins the ground-work of the tale, the incidents of which are developed 
with much skill and effect.— Pliilad. Gazette. 

Harpe's Head is one of the most interesting stories with which we are ac- 
quainted. — Daily Chronicle. 

Judge Hall is among the most popular of American writers, and in the present 
production, has given another proof of the felicity of his genius. It abounds 
with narratives and sketches of deep interest, relating to the early periods of 
the settlement of Kentucky.— JV. Y. Com. Adv. 

Mr. James Hall, a native of Philadelphia, and favorably known as the author 
of Legends of the West, has just published a new work, entitled " Harpe's 
Head, , A Legend of Kentucky:'' It is well calculated to add to his fame, and 
though it bears evidences of being a hasty composition, reflects great credit 
upon the author. It is the story of Micajah Harpe, a Kentuckian Freebooter, 
and the scene changes from Virginia, in the olden time, to Ohio and Kentucky. 
The account of a Virginia Barbecue is so well and naturally executed, that it 
must become a favorite. It is here inserted as a favorable specimen of the work. 
Miss Pendleton is altogether lovely. — Poulson's Daily Adv. 

With the ordinary characters which must be found in such a composition, we 
have one quite original being, in the person of " Hark Short, the snake-killer;" 
and' the production, as a whole, forms one of the most engaging volumes that 
we have met with. To its other merits we should not omit to add that, like 
other writings from the same pen, it is distinguished by an unobtrusive tone of 
the purest moral sentiment. — Pcnn. Inquirer. 

We cheerfully commend this work to the attention of our readers, assuring 
them that they will be amused, entertained, and instructed by its perusal— they 
will find Indian warfare,— savage modes of life — the difficulties and dangers 
experienced by the early pioneers in the "far, far west" — delineated with a 
master hand, in language glowing, vivid, and natural. — JVational Banner. 

WACOUSTA, OR THE PROPHECY; 
A Tale of the Canadas. 2 vols. 

This work is of a deeply interesting character, and justly lays claim to be of 
the highest cast. We think it decidedly superior to any production of the kind 
which has recently emanated from the press. It abounds with thrilling scenes, 
and the author has displayed a power of delineation rarely surpassed. — Daily In- 
telligencer. 

We have read it, and unhesitatingly pronounce it one of the most deeply in- 
teresting works of fiction which has met our eye for many a month. It is a his- 
torical novel — the scenes of which are laid principally at Detroit and Mackina 
— and some of the tragic events which those places witnessed in the early settle- 
ment of the country, are given with historic accuracy — particularly the mas- 
sacre of Mackina.— The author is evidently conversant with Indian stratagem 
and with Indian eloquence; and has presented us with specimens of both, truly 
characteristic of the untutored savage. We would gladly present our readers 
with an extract from this interesting work, did our limits permit. In lieu of an 
extract, however, we commend the work itself to them. — Commercial Herald. 

The principal personage of this novel is a savage chief, and the story of his 
retreat, bearing off captive the daughter of the Governor, is told with thrilling 
effect. It is well written throughout, and abounds with interesting scenes. — 
Com. Adv. 

THE YOUNG LADY'S SUNDAY BOOK ; 
A Practical Manual of the Christian Duties of Piety, Benevo- 
lence, and Self-government. Prepared with particular reference 
_ _ 



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parpoae far irfeieh it t* ***•$»«*% aarf hope it may a»wtiriffe aa extemire tatkt*— 



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aMat a tm aalaa a need sat feecitate ta atait iaf» faakiiy reaau^ — 7Xt Friend. 

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girtsc Btmrrmir. aa4 esStesI hr the R*r. Dr. Bea^L ft '» eihcltirhBsI • ith heaav 
tifnl eaerariat*. aa4 priwud with Heraaee. The feterarr caateats axe rer*- 
gaod. mmmMr atom*, and free of all iarirfiaias resaarfc or ajtacsaa. Trae Chrav- 
tiaiitr is that which pwriiec the heart, BheraHaea the fe^tiazs. aas! lanrair the 



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the fjesa of the fear. ITot aair aasjacstj - 
tiaa to all others of its cfacs pwhlisihesl i 
aa-1 ra.":f ii fiaMb of tte aistiraUc ^*n-. i I r« ft* 
tt»»«e %-»c<!ia;!v prvioce>i »r the tbusfced arttrt* *•»< *a 
la *4- We hope aa aapnceaVeBtesl patroaaze sriM resaaaerate th 
fishers far aroaariae- at csch a HheraJ exfeatce. a srorfc aat leas 
dKsasefres thaa to the state of art i* toe er^uitrj— V Y Oma-Ad*. 

af thai 





WORKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED 

LETTERS TO AN ANXIOUS INQUIRER, 

Designed to relieve the difficulties of a Friend, under Serious Impressions. 

BY T. CARLTON HENRY, D. D. 

Late Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Charleston, S. C. 

With an Introductory Essay, (in which is presented Dr. Henry's 

Preface to his Letters, and his Life, by a friend.) By G. T. Bedell, 

D.D., Rector of St. Andrew's Church, Philadelphia. 

It is an important volume, and is an indispensable auxiliary to a proper con- 
templation of the most important of all subjects. The work contains a very 
judicious Introductory Essay, from the pen of the Rev. G. T. Bedell, Rector of 
St. Andrew's Church, in this city.— Sat. Eve. Post. 

In a revival of religion among his own people, Dr. Bedell found this work use- 
ful, and was led to seek its republication in a cheap and neat form, for the advan- 
tage of those who cannot afford to purchase costly volumes. We hope the work 
may prove a blessing to all who shall read it. — The Philadelphian. 

These letters have been for many years highly valued for the practical and 
appropriate instruction for which they are principally designed. — Presbyterian. 

THE SOLDIER'S BRIDE, AND OTHER TALES. 

By James Hall, Esq. author of " Legends of the West, &c. 

Contents. — 1. The Soldier's Bride ; — 2. Cousin Lucy and the 
Village Teacher; — 3. Empty Pockets; — 4. The Captain's Lady; — 
5. The Philadelphia Dun;— 6. The Bearer of Dispatches ;— 7. The 
Village Musician; — 8. Fashionable Watering-Places ; — 9. The 
Useful Man ;— 10. The Dentist;— 11. The Bachelor's Elysium ;— 
12. Pete Featherton ;— 13. The Billiard Table. 

We have just risen from the perusal of the Soldier's Bride. The impression it 
leaves upon the mind is like that which we receive from the sight of a landscape 
of rural beauty and repose — or from the sound of rich and sweet melody. Every 
part of this delightful tale is redolent of moral and natural loveliness. The 
writer belongs to the same class with Irving and Paulding; and as in his de- 
scriptions, characters, and incidents, he never loses sight of the true and legiti- 
mate purpose of fiction, the elevation of the taste and moral character of his 
readers, he will contribute his full share to the creation of sound and healthful 
literature.— IT. S. Gazette. 

Key &c Biddle have recently published another series of Tales— the Soldier's 
Bride, &c. by James Hall. The approbation everywhere elicited by Judge Hall's 
Legends of the West, has secured a favorable reception for the present volume ; 
and its varied and highly spirited contents, consisting of thirteen tales, will be 
found no less meritorious than his previous labors. — National Oazctte. 

We have found much to admire in the perusal of this interesting work. It 
abounds in correct delineation of character, and although in some of his tales, 
the author's style is familiar, yet he has not sacrificed to levity the dignity of 
his pen, nor tarnished his character as a chaste and classical writer. At the 
present day, when the literary world is flooded with fustian and insipidity, and 
the public taste attempted to be vitiated by the weak and effeminate productions 
of those whose minds are as incapable of imagining the lofty and generous feel- 
ings they would pourtray, as their hearts are of exercising them, it is peculiarly 
gratifying to receive a work, from the pages of which the eye may cater with 
satisfaction, and the mind feast with avidity and benefit. — Pittsburg Mercury. 

TALES OF ROMANCE, FIRST SERIES. 

This is not only an uncommonly neat edition, but a very entertaining book ; 
how could it be otherwise, when such an array of authors as the following is 
presented — 

The work contains Ali's Bride, a tale from the Persian, by Thomas Moore, in- 
_ „ . 



BIT KEY & 3IDDLE. 



terspersed with poetry. The Last of the Line, by Mrs. S. C. Hall, an author who 
sustains a reputation which every succeeding production greatly enhances. The 
Wire Merchant's Story, by the author of the King's Own. The Procrastinator, 
by T. Crofton Croker. The Spanish Beadsman. The Legend of Rose Rocke, by 

the author of Stories of Waterloo. Barbara S , by Charles Lamb. A 

Story of the Heart. The Vacant Chair, by J. M. Wilson ; and the Queen of the 
Meadows, by Miss Mitford. 

This volume has no pretensions to the inculcation of mawkish sensibility. 
We have read every word of it, and can confidently recommend it to our friends. 
— Journal of Belles Lettres. 

ZOE, OR THE SICILIAN SAYDA. 

As an historical romance, embellished with the creations of a lively imagina- 
tion, and adorned with the beauties of a classic mind, this production will take 
a high rank, and although not so much lauded as a Cooper or an Irving, he may 
be assured that by a continuance of his efforts, he will secure the approbation 
of his countrymen, and the reward of a wide-spread fame. — Daily Intelligencer. 

We do not call attention to this on account of any previous reputation of its 
author; it possesses intrinsic merit, and will obtain favor because it merits it. 
It is historical, and the name and circumstances are to be found in the records 
of those times. The plot is ably conceived, the characters are vividly, and some 
are fearfully drawn. — Boston American Traveller. 

THE TESTIMONY OF NATURE AND REVELATION TO 
THE BEING, PERFECTIONS, AND GOVERNMENT OF 
GOD. By the Rev. Henry Fergus, Dunfermline, author of the 
History of the United States of America, till the termination of 
the War of Independence, in Lardner's Cyclopedia. 

The Rev. Mr. Fergus's Testimony of Nature and Revelation to the Being, 
Perfection, and Government of God, is an attempt to do in one volume what the 
Bridgewater Treatises are to do in eight. We wish one-eighth of the reward 
only may make its way to Dunfermline. Mr. Fergus's Treatise goes over the 
whole ground with fervor and ability; it is an excellent volume, and may be 
had for somewhere about about half the price of one Bridgewater octavo.— Lon- 
don Spectator. 

A work of great research and great talent. — Evangelical Magazine. 

A very seasonable and valuable work. Its philosophy is unimpeachable, and 
its theology pure and elevated.— New Monthly Mag. 

This is an elegant and enlighted work, of a pious and highly gifted man. — 
Metropolitan Magazine. 

This excellent work contains, in a brief space, all that is likely to be useful in 
the Bridgewater Treatises, and displays infinitely more of original thought and 
patient research, than the two volumes which have been recently published by 
the managers of his lordship's legacy. We have never seen any work in which 
the necessity of a revelation was more clearly demonstrated, while at the same 
time its due importance was assigned to natural religion. 

We hope that the work will be extensively used in the education of youth : it 
is admirably calculated to stimulate students to scientific research, and the ob- 
servation of Nature; it suggests subjects of contemplation, by which the mind 
must be both delighted and instructed ; and, finally, it teaches the most sublime 
of all lessons, admiration of the power, delight in the wisdom, and gratitude for 
the love of our Creator. — Athenaum. 

LETTERS FROM THE NORTH OF EUROPE, 
Or Journal of Travels in Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 
Finland, Russia, Prussia, and Saxony. By Charles B. Elliott, Esq. 

This is one of those remarkably pleasant tours which an intelligent gentle- 
man, who has seen much of the world, is alone calculated to write— one of those 
productions which engage the attention and do not fatigue it, and which we 
read from first to last with the agreeable sensation, that we are gathering the 
information of very extensive travel easily, by our own fireside.— London Lite- 
rary Gazette. 



WORKS HiECESTTX^ PUBLISHED 

YOUNG MAN'S OWN BOOK. 

A Manual of Politeness, Intellectual Improvement, and Moral 
Deportment, calculated to form the character on a solid basis, and 
to insure respectability and success in life. 

Its contents are made up of brief and well written essays upon subjects very 
judiciously selected, and will prove a useful and valuable work to those who 
give it a careful reading, and make proper use of those hints which the author 
throws out. — Boston Trav. 

We cheerfully recommend a perusal of the Young Man's Own Book to all our 
young friends, for we are convinced that if they read it faithfully, they will find 
themselves both wiser and better. — The Young- Man's Advocate. 

In the Young Man's Own Book, much sound advice upon a variety of im- 
portant subjects is administered, and a large number of rules are laid down for 
the regulation of conduct, the practice of which cannot fail to insure respecta- 
bility. — Saturday Courier. 

JOURNAL OF A NOBLEMAN; 
Being a Narrative of his residence at Vienna, during Congress. 

The author is quite spirited in his remarks on occurrences, and his sketches of 
character are picturesque and amusing. We commend this volume to our read- 
ers as a very entertaining production. — Daily Intel. 

We presume no one could take up this little volume and dip into it, without 
feeling regret at being obliged by any cause to put it down before it was read. 
The style is fine, as are the descriptions, the persons introduced, together with 
the anecdotes, and in general, the entire sketching is by the hand of a master. 
Everything appears natural — there is no affectation of learning — no overstrain- 
ing—no departure from what one would expect to see and hear — all is easy — all 
graceful. — Com. Herald. 

YOUNG LADY'S OWN BOOK, 

A Manual of Intellectual Improvement and Moral Deportment. 
By the author of the Young- Man's Own Book. 

Messrs. Key & Biddle, of this city, have published a very neat little volume, 
entitled The Young Lady's Own Book. Its contents are well adapted to its use- 
ful purpose. — National. Gazette. 

The Young Lady's Own Book seems to us to have been carefully prepared, to 
comprehend much and various instruction of a practical character, and to corre- 
spond in its contents with its title.— Young Man's Advocate. 

The Young Lady's Own Book, embellished with beautiful engravings, should 
be in the hands of every young female.— Inquirer. 

All the articles in the Young Lady's Own Book are of a useful and interesting 
character.— JV. Y. Com. Adv. 

AN ADDRESS TO THE~YOUNG, ON THE IMPORT- 
ANCE OF RELIGION. By John Foster, author of Essays on 
Decision of Character, &c. 

We are not going to hold a rush light up to a book of John Foster'? but only 
mean to tell what is its intent. It is an awakening appeal to youtC nf the re- 
fined and educated sort, upon the subject of their personal religion. There can 
be no doubt as to its currency. — The Presbyterian. 

A MOTHER'S FIRST THOUGHTS. By the author of " Faith's 
Telescope." 

This is a brief miniature, from an Edinburgh edition. Its aim is to furnish 
Religious Meditations, Prayers, and Devotional Poetry for pious mothers. It is 
most highly commended in the Edinburgh Presbyterian Review, and in the 
Christian Advocate. The author, who is a lady of Scotland, unites a deep know- 
ledge of sound theology, with no ordinary talent for sacred poetry.— Presbyterian. 



BY KEY & BIDDLE. 
EXAMPLE; OR, FAMILY SCENES. 

This is one of those useful and truly moral publications which can not fail to 
be read with delight by the youth of both seves, who, as their hearts expand, 
and they advance in years, have need of some instructor to point out the path 
they should follow for their future happiness. The author has been triumphantly 
successful in attaining these laudable objects in this interesting publication. — 
Weekly Times. 

Some of the 'Scenes' are sweetly touching, and, in our view, the author has 
succeeded remarkably well in presenting the sublime and yet simple truths of 
Evangelical Religion to the mind in a way of deep and abiding impressions.— 
JV. Y. Com. Ado. 

True religion is diffusive in its character, and when it is fairly exemplified in 
the life of an individual, it will excite attention, command respect, and perhaps 
lead to still happier results. ' Let your light so shine before men that they may 
see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,' is a command 
of high authority, and one which presupposes the force of example. These 
1 Family Scenes,' which belong to the same class with Mrs. Sherwood's writings, 
are intended to illustrate the influence of example. The book is pleasingly writ- 
ten, and is characterized by a vein of pious and evangelical sentiment.— Presby- 
terian. 

A HARMONY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS, 

Founded on the Arrangement of the Harmonia Evangelica, by 
the .Rev. Edward Greswell. With the Practical Reflections of Dr. 
Doddridge. Designed for the use of Families and Schools, and for 
Private Edification. By the Rev. E. Bickersteth, Rector of Wolton, 
Herts. 

A beautiful duodecimo of about four hundred pages; and one of the best 
books which has appeared for many years, with respect to personal and domestic 
edification. It is next to impossible to read the ordinary Harmonies. The cur- 
rent of the narrative is broken by constant interruptions. In this, we have in 
convenient sections, the four Gospel histories, made up into one, in proper order, 
in the words of the common English translation. The devotional notes of 
Doddridge are better than any we have seen for reading in the closet, or at family 
worship. The name of Bickersteth, prefixed to a book, is enough to show that 
it is written simply to serve the cause of Christ. — The Presbyterian. 

THE SPIRIT OF LIFE. 

A Poem, pronounced before the Franklin Society of Brown Uni- 
versity, Sept. 3, 1833. With other Poems. By Willis Gaylord 
Clark, Esq. 

We hope Mr. Clark may find sufficient inducements to place before the public, 
in a more accessible form than that in which they are now scattered through 
the periodicals of the day, more of the creations of his fancy, breathing as they 
do the fervor of moral purity, as well as chastened and beautiful poetry — we do 
not hesitate to say they will be most highly acceptable. The anonymous pro- 
ductions of his pen have long attracted the highest praise, and it is high time 
that he should, in his own person, reap the laurels he has so well earned, and 
boldly challenge a rank among the best of the American poets. — N. Y. Mirror. 

The "Spirit of Life" is a clustering of many of those beauties, which all, who 
admire poetry, have already seen and applauded in the different productions of 
Clark's gifted mind.— U. S. Gaz. 

This poetry is of no common order. The author beautifully describes the Spirit 
of Life as pervading all Nature, and triumphing over the power of death.— 
Ej>iscopal Recorder. 

The " Spirit of Life" is an essay of sound morality, in the guise of smooth 
and easy versification. It aims by graceful numbers to better the heart ; to teach 
it contentment here below.— Paulson's Daily Adv. 



WORKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED 

THE HAPPINESS OF THE BLESSED, 

Considered as to the particulars of their state ; their recognition 
of each other in that state ; and its difference of degrees. To which 
are added, Musings on the Church and her Services. By Richard 
Mant, D. D. M. R. I. A. Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. 

The design of the Rev. author in this production, is to adduce from scriptural 
authority, the most satisfactory evidence of the happiness and joy of those who 
by faith follow Christ, and who, in the exercise of those virtues required by the 
gospel, are emphatically denominated the children of God. The author has 
touched upon several topics connected with the subject, which must afford much 
consolation to the Christian, who, from the very nature of his organization, is 
liable to doubts and fearful forebodings as to the state of his heart and the 
grounds of his faith. 

Christian hope, confidence, and charity, are stamped upon every page, and the 
writer deserves well of the Christian inquirer, for the industry which he has dis- 
played in collecting and arranging so many important and valuable arguments 
in favor of the glorious and resplendent state of the faithful and humble disciple 
of Jesus. 

In this world, mankind have need of consolation— of the cup of sorrow all 
must drink— happiness is a phantom, a meteor, beautiful and bright, always al- 
luring us by its glow — forever within our reach, but eternally eluding our grasp 
— but this state of things was designed by our Creator for our benefit— it was 
intended to withdraw our affections from the shadowy and unsubstantial pleas- 
ures of the world, to the Father of all in Heaven, and to prepare, by discipline 
and zeal, for a state, beyond the grave, of felicity, which eye hath not seen, ear 
hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of. To 
our readers we cheerfully commend this delightful volume, confident that by its 
perusal the faith of the doubtful will be confirmed, and the anticipative hope of 
the confident increased. — Christian's Magazine. 

We take the earliest opportunity of introducing to our readers this excellent 
little book, to which the deeply interesting nature of the subject, and the well- 
earned reputation of the Right Rev. author will secure no inconsiderable portion 
of attention. The vast importance of the topics herein treated, and the valuable 
practical effects they may assist in producing, induce us to call thus early the 
public attention to a work, small indeed in size, but which is calculated not a 
little to inform all candid and serious inquirers into a subject hitherto involved 
in much obscurity, but not a little elucidated by the present author.— Gent. Mug. 



MEMOIR OF MISS MARY JANE GRAHAM. 
By the Rev. Charles Bridges, M. A. author of Christian Min- 
istry, &c. &c. 

We have seldom read a biographical sketch which we could more cordially or 
confidently recommend to the Christian reader. The highly gifted, accomplished, 
and spiritually-minded subject of the work has found a kindred spirit in the ex- 
cellent author. He has used his valuable materials in such a manner as to ren- 
der the memoir of Miss Graham not less rich in interest than full of instruction, 
to all who are capable of being interested in the highest mental endowments, 
sanctified and set apart to the service of God. There are few, either believers 
or unbelievers, who may not be instructed by the counsel, or benefited by the 
example of Miss Graham.— Episcopal Recorder. 

In manyjespects it is one of the richest pieces of biography with which we 
are acquainted.— Presbyterian. 

TALES OF ROMANCE, SECOND SERIES. 

The Tales of Romance, which Messrs. Key & Biddle have just published, are 
altogether above the ordinary collections of the day. Every author included 
among the contributors to the volume, has acquired previously a distinct reputa- 
tion in other works. Such names as Malcolm, Roscoe, and others, will be suffi- 
cient to give an idea of the merits of these Tales. The story of Fazio, from 
whence is derived the tragedy of that name, is well and concisely told. We shall 
present the best part of it soon, to the readers of the Intelligencer.— Daily Intel. 
_ _ __ 



BiT KEY & BJiDDLU. 



GENERAL VIEW OF THE GEOLOGY OF SCRIPTURE, 
In which the unerring- truth of the Inspired Narrative of the 
early events in the world is exhibited, and distinctly proved, by the 
corroborative testimony of physical facts, on every part of the 
earth's surface. Ey George Fairholme, Esq. 

The work before us is admirably calculatsd to enlighten the mind upon the 
subject of Creation, and we have rarely perused a work which has added so much 
to our stock of ideas, or which has given so much gratification. If the limits of 
our paper permitted, we should take pleasure in laying before our readers an 
analysis of the contents of this excellent production, but as that is out of the 
question, we must refer them to the work itself, where we can assure them they 
will find an abundance of information on the important subject of Creation. — 
Phil. Gaz. 

The Geology of Scripture, by George Fairholme, Esq. is an admirable work. 
The circulation of it should be extensive; and, judging from its intrinsic merit, 
such is its destiny. — Christian Gazette. 

LIFE OF WILLIAM COWPER, ESQ. 

Compiled from his correspondence and other authentic sources 
of information, containing remarks on his writing's, and on the 
peculiarities of his interesting character, never before published. 
By Thomas Taylor. 

Taylor's Life of Cowper has several private letters of the poet not found in 
other works, which serve to correct many false impressions relative to bis men- 
tal aberration. It is due the cause of humanity, and of justice generally, that 
the truth should be received; especially when, by affecting the character of so 
great a man as Cowper, it in a great measure touches the whole of the human 
kind.— U. S. Gaz. 

A comprehensive and perspicuous memoir of Cowper has been much wanted, 
and will be read with gratification by the admirers of this amiable and pious 
man, whose accomplishments, excellencies, and peculiarity of character, have 
rendered him an object of interest to the world. We are indebted to Mr. Taylor 
for his excellent work, and for the happy manner in which it has been accom- 
plished. — Boston Trav. 

Thirty years nearly have passed since we first read with great delight Hayley's 
Life of Cowper, and we have never cast our eyes on the volumes s;nce, without 
wishing to unravel a few things in the poet's history which were then left in 
mystery. Taylor professes to deal openly, and remove all concealment. In one 
beautiful volume, he has given us the substance of all which is known concern- 
ing the most sensible and pious of all the English poets ; whose writings will 
be regarded as the best of their kind wherever the English language shah be 
read. In all his numerous works, he has no line of measured jingle without 
sense. Can this be said of scarcely any other child of the muses? Those who 
have Hayley's two volumes, will be thankful for the labors of Taylor ; and those 
who have neither, should purchase this new compilation without delay. It is a 
work which will be found interesting to all classes, especially to the lovers of 
literature and genuine piety, and to place within the reach of general readers, 
many of whom have neither the means nor the leisure to consult larger works, all 
that is really interesting respecting that singularly afflicted individual, whose pro- 
ductions, both poetic and prose, can never be read but with delight. — Philadclphian. 

Messrs Key <fe Biddle deserve credit for placing within the reach of all, in so 
cheap and convenient a form, what must be salutary in every instance in its 
general effect. The character, pursuits, performances, "and sufferings of Cowper, 
combine more interest than belongs to the life of any of the great English au- 
thors who spent any considerable part of their days in retirement.— Nat. Gaz. 

A beautiful American edition, from the press of Key & Biddle, has just been 
published, and cannot fail to meet with a welcome reception from all who ad- 
mire that best of men and most agreeable of poets. It is the most complete and 
valuable edition of the Life of Cowper extant, and contains a well-executed por- 
trait. — Poulson's Daily Jldv. 

_ 



WORKS PUBL ISHED BY KEY & BIDDLS. 

LEGENDS OF THE WEST. 

By James Hall, second edition, containing the following beauti- 
ful told tales : — The Backwoodsman ; — The Divining Rod ; — The 
Seventh Son; — The Missionaries; — The Legend of Carondolet ; — 
The Intestate; — Michael De Lancey; — The Emigrants; — The In- 
dian Hater ; — The Isle of the Yellow Sands ; — The Barrackmas- 
ter's Daughter ; — The Indian Wife's Lament. 

We are glad to see a new edition of these well-told tales of Judge Hall has 
recently been published. — Bost. Eve. Gaz. 

The deserved popularity of these tales of Judge Hall, have secured to them the 
publication of a second edition. His sketches are admirably drawn, and his 
personal familiarity with scenery and life in the West, have furnished him with 
incidents of peculiar interest, greatly iucreased by felicitous description. — JV. Y. 
Com. Adv. 

The rapid sale of the first, has created a demand for a second edition of the 
work, whose title heads this article. 

The " Legends" comprise twelve articles, one of which is poetic. The scenes 
of these tales are all located in the " far, far West," and the characters are taken 
from the aborigines and early emigrants. The difficulties and dangers which the 
first settlers had to undergo ere they were established in security, are depicted 
in glowing colors, and wifh a master hand. 

The rude and savage warfare of the Indians, the secret ambuscade, the mid- 
night slaughter, the conflagration of the log hut in the prairie and forest, the 
shrieks of consuming women and children, are presented to our minds by the 
author in vivid and impressive language. These tales possess much interest, as 
they are founded in fact, and are illustrative of the habits of the Indian, and 
the life of the hunter. As a writer. Judge Hall is more American than any other 
we possess; his scenes are American ; his characters are American, and his lan- 
guage is American His personages are invested with an individuality which 
cannot be mistaken, and his conceptions and illustrations are drawn from the 
great storehouse of Nature.— Daily Intel. 

THE CHURCH OF GOD, 

In a Series of Dissertations, by the Rev. Robert Wilson Evans, 
of Trinity College, Cambridge. 

The object of the writer is to show that the fundamental doctrines of the 
Christian Religion have been taught in the various dispensations, from the in- 
stitution of the Church in the family of Adam, to the more clear and perfect 
exposition of its principles by the Savior and his apostles. He is thus led to 
deal whollv with general principles — those in which the great body of Christians 
agree. This frees his work from all savor of sectarianism, and the ingenuity 
and talent exhibited in its execution, commend it to the religious of every name. 
It would perhaps be well to say, that the above work is by the author of "Rec- 
tory of Valehead." — Episcopal Recorder. 

THE PROGRESSIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE HEART, 
UNDER THE DISCIPLINE OF THE HOLY GHOST, FROM 
REGENERATION TO MATURITY. By Mrs. Stevens. 

This is a work which may be recommended to religious readers and to serious 
inquirers, with great safety. It is written in an impressive style, and is evi- 
dently the production of a mind and heart thoroughly imbued with Christian 
knowledge and experience. The operations of the Holy Ghost upon the soul of 
man, are traced with a discrimination which nothing but a personal experience 
of his influences could have furnished. Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Reli- 
gion in the Soul, is an admirable book on this subject, but Mrs. Stevens's treatise 
deserves an honorable place at its side, Ministers of the Gospel should consult 
the spiritual welfare of their people, by recommending and promoting the cir- 
culation of such works.— Presbyterian. 
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